[Clinical analysis of patients with sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis undergoing home oxygen therapy]

To clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis undergoing home oxygen therapy.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of those with newly-introduced home oxygen therapy for the sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis from 1998 through 2001, using national hospital network of respiratory diseases.

The study subjects were 402 in total (271 men and 131 women), who started the home oxygen therapy at the age ranging between 33 and 100 years (72.2 +/- 8.1 years, mean +/- S.D.). They suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis at the mean age of 37.7 +/- 19.4 years, and the interval leading to oxygen therapy averaged 33.1 +/- 19.1 years. Sixty-eight percent of these patients demonstrated body mass index (BMI) less than 20. Pulmonary function studies revealed the markedly-decreased vital capacity (46.2 +/- 15.0%) as well as reduced FEV1/FVC (68.5 +/- 18.8%). Arterial blood gases measured when home oxygen therapy was introduced showed hypoxemia (Pa(O2), 60.4 +/- 10.7 Torr) with hypercapnea (Pa(CO2), 50.5 +/- 9.4 Torr). The average flow rate of oxygen was 0.94 +/- 0.64 L/min at rest and 1.51 +/- 0.70 L/min on exertion. The patients were divided into two groups; those with surgical intervention including thoracoplasty or lung resection (126 cases, group 1) and those without surgery (148 cases, group 2). The mean age of the patients in the group 1 when home oxygen therapy was started was 72.3 +/- 6.4 years and 71.6 +/- 9.1 years in the group 2, respectively. Subjects in group 1 were more likely suffered from TB in younger age than those in group 2 (28.2 +/- 9.7 vs. 45.4 +/- 21.5 years, p < 0.01), and had the longer duration to initiate domiciliary oxygen therapy (43.0 +/- 10.9 vs. 25.3 +/- 20.3years, p<0.01). The former was also more likely to have lower % VC (p < 0.01), more elevated Pa(CO2) (p<0.05), and lower inspired flow rate of oxygen (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to BMI, FEV1/FVC, or

Our investigation demonstrated that patients with sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis under oxygen therapy revealed the different clinical course and characteristics regarding the presence or absence of previous surgical intervention.