title: Treatment response and adverse reactions in older tuberculosis patients with immunocompromising comorbidities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of immunocompromising comorbidities on treatment response and adverse reactions in older tuberculosis (TB) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 182 patients older than 65 years with proven TB by positive culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and with available drug susceptibility tests were reviewed retrospectively. These patients were subsequently assigned to either the comorbidity group (n=78) or non-comorbidity group (n=104) depending on whether they had immunocompromising comorbidities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean durations of treatment were 9.9 ± 3.3 months in the comorbidity group and 9.3 ± 3.2 months in the non-comorbidity group (p=0.21). M. tuberculosis culture results converted to negative in most patients with available follow-up cultures at two months after treatment. The successful treatment rates were 94.9% and 98.9% in the comorbidity and non-comorbidity groups, respectively (p=0.30). The most common side effects of anti-TB treatment were skin rash/pruritus (13% in the comorbidity group vs. 11% in the non-comorbidity group, p=0.79), gastro-intestinal problems (14% vs. 9%, p=0.25) and hepatotoxicity (14% vs. 7%, p=0.09).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that the successful treatment rate for TB is high and that immunocompromising comorbidities have no effect on the response to treatment and adverse effects in older TB patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Lung Institute of Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seo Yun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jae-Joon
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yim
authors.forename: Chul-Gyu
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Young Whan
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Seok-Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012293:Rifampin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D007538:Isoniazid; D012293:Rifampin
keywords: Tuberculosis; aged; comorbidity
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