Tuberculosis in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: a single center experience

This retrospective study was performed to review the prevalence, clinical presentation and outcome of tuberculosis (TB) in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) as compared to that of the general population in Jordan. The records of 927 patients who were maintained on maintenance HD at King Hussein Medical Center between 1986 and 1993 were reviewed for the development of TB. There were 550 males and 377 females in the study group. Eleven of these patients (1.2%) were diagnosed to have TB during this period. This figure is higher than the prevalence rate of 0.015% reported among the general population in some regions of Jordan. Of the 11 patients with TB, there were four males and seven females. Their ages varied from 28 to 70 years and the duration on maintenance HD before the onset of TB ranged between 1 and 24 months. Extra-pulmonary manifestations predominated (81.8%) and TB lymphadenitis was the commonest lesion observed. Five patients died during the study period but none due to a direct consequence of TB or its treatment. We conclude that the prevalence of TB is high among patients on HD In Jordan when compared with the general population.