Severe tuberculosis requiring ICU admission.
Tuberculosis is a curable disease that can evolve to severe forms, requiring the treatment of the patients in an ICU, especially if there is a delay in the diagnosis or if it affects elderly patients, those on dialysis, or those with HIV infection or other states of immunosuppression, as well as in cases of multidrug resistant disease. Knowledge of the radiological presentation of the cases can help diagnose these severe forms, as can the introduction of new tests, such as the early detection of the etiological agent by PCR and chest CT, which favors the early initiation of treatment. In addition, the use of regimens without isoniazid and rifampin, as well as uncertain enteral absorption and low serum concentrations of antituberculosis drugs, can reduce the efficacy of treatment. For such patients, the prognosis is generally poor and mortality rates are high.
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. denise.rossato@terra.com.br
Denise Rossato
DR
Silva
Marcelo Basso
MB
Gazzana
Paulo de Tarso Roth
Pde T
Dalcin
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D011379:Prognosis; D011859:Radiography; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality
D000995:Antitubercular Agents