Frequency of tuberculosis in haematological malignancies and stem cell transplant recipients

To assess magnitude of tuberculosis (TB) in patients suffering from various haematological malignancies and stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients.

Descriptive study.

Oncology Department, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, and Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, Rawalpindi, from July 2001 to December 2002.

Patients suffering from various haematological malignancies treated between July 2001 and December 2002 were included in the study. The hospital records and out-patient follow-up charts were reviewed for demographic information, diagnosis, clinical presentation, laboratory investigations, radiological and pathological examinations, sites involved in TB, methods of diagnosis, number and type of anti-tuberculosis drugs given and response to treatment.

During the study period a total of 213 (including 25 allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) recipients) patients with different haematological disorders were treated. Out of these, 34, including 4 SCT recipients developed tuberculosis. Overall frequency of TB was 16 %. Median age of TB patients was 33.5 years (range 8-80 years). Median time between diagnosis of haematological disorders and tuberculosis was 21 weeks. Sites of involvement by TB were lung (18), disseminated (6), lymph node (5), pleura (2), spine (2) and pericardium (1). Three of the patients died of TB; one undiagnosed, second with multi-drug resistant TB and the third soon after the start of anti-tuberculosis treatment while remaining 31 cases responded to anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Tuberculosis is a major problem in immunocompromised patients and there is need to establish guidelines for TB chemoprophylaxis in our setup.