[A study on low performance status cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in the elderly]

The subjects consisted of 42 patients aged over 60 years, whose performance status (PS) was grade 3 or 4, and who had been admitted for pulmonary tuberculosis at National Chiba-Higashi Hospital between 1997 and 1998. The average age (+/- SD) of the 34 men and 8 women was 77.6 (+/- 8.5) years (range, 60-91 years). The mean stay in the hospital of the improved patients was 166.6 days (range, 57-303 days), and the mean survival period from admission to death was 43.4 days (range, 2-179 days in died patients). On admission to our hospital, 26 cases were sputum smear positive, 8 cases were smear negative and culture positive, and 8 were negative both on smear and culture. The cavity was observed in 30 cases (71.4%) on the chest X-ray. The laboratory data on admission revealed low nutritional condition. The mean serum total protein, albumin, and cholesterol level on admission were 6.2 (+/- 0.82) g/dl, 2.7 (+/- 0.62) g/dl, and 143.0 (+/- 41.9) mg/dl. Most of the patients had a difficulty in taking foods, and 20 cases (47.6%) were performed parenteral nutrition by central venous catheter. 23 cases (54.8%) received oxygen therapy by facial mask or nasal tube. The most common cause of low PS on admission was pulmonary tuberculosis in 14 cases (33.3%), followed by cerebrovascular diseases in 11 cases, and orthopedic disease in 8 cases. The proportion of patients whose cause of low PS was not due to lung tuberculosis increased with age. Observing the mortality by the route of administration of antituberculosis medications on admission, 19 (55.9%) of 34 cases who could take drugs per oral route died. One (50.0%) of 2 cases who were administered drugs through gastric tube died, and all (100.0%) of 5 cases who could not take drugs per oral route and were injected isoniazid and streptomycin died. One case who could not administer any drug died. 16 cases improved and 26 cases died, of whom the most common cause of death was pulmonary tuberculosis in 11 cases (42.3%), followed by bacterial pneumonia in 5 cases, and cerebrovascular disease in 3 cases. The mortality by the PS on admission were as follows: 10 (47.6%) of 21 cases with PS 3 died. 16 (76.2%) of 21 cases with PS 4 died. 16 (6.4%) of 249 cases aged over 60 years with PS 0, 1 or 2, and were admitted for pulmonary tuberculosis at the same hospital during the same period died. This study confirms that the prognosis of low performance status patients of pulmonary tuberculosis in the elderly was significantly poor. We have to detect tuberculosis patients in the early stage, and give them antituberculosis medications per oral route as far as possible.