Urinary tuberculosis: experience of a teaching hospital in Syria

This study was designed to show our experience of urinary tuberculosis in one of the large teaching hospitals in Syria. It was a prospective study involving 48 patients (29 males and 19 females) with confirmed tuberculous lesions in the urinary tract. The study period was between 1982-1987. The presenting symptoms were protean, and there were often delays between onset of symptoms and eventual diagnosis. The highest age incidence was in the second and fourth decades. Beside the suggestive clinical manifestations, final diagnosis was reached by various means. Repeated examinations of EMU smears were positive in about 20% of cases. Urine culture was positive in 33.3%, while varied percentage of cases showed some radiological changes suggestive of tuberculosis. Other investigations included cystoscopy and biopsy of suspected lesions. Treatment was conservative by chemotherapy in 45% of cases, with complete recovery in about 33%, while acceptable results were shown in congruent to 19%, and failure of treatment or recurrence of active disease in 48% of cases. Some forms of surgical intervention were carried out in 55% of patients. Cure was seen in 50% of them, while 25% had acceptable results and failure was shown in the remaining 25%. It is concluded that urinary tuberculosis remains an important infectious disease problem in our country. The high rate of failure of both medical or surgical treatment is mainly due to late diagnosis.