[Management in sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis (chronic respiratory failure)]

1. The high risk groups for chronic respiratory failure due to pulmonary tuberculosis were identified based on the chest X-ray sketches on the TB Registration Cards in a health center. They showed 10.8-14.8% of mortality which was highly related to respiratory failure (ca 64%). To prevent developing acute exacerbation, they were educated collectively in daily care at the health center and were introduced to medical services immediately upon demand. 2. The 248 patients suffering from chronic respiratory failure or pre-respiratory failure due to pulmonary tuberculosis were divided into three groups; A: 83 cases without past history of admission due to acute exacerbation, B: 138 cases with past history of short term (under 1 year) admission, C: 27 cases with past history of long term (over 1 year) admission. We analyzed these cases by background, symptoms, pulmonary function tests, therapeutic effects, and prognosis retrospectively. The frequency of exertional dyspnea, O2 demand, acute exacerbation, and artificial ventilation increased in the order A-B-C.