[The risk of reactivation of post-tuberculosis changes in patients with severe somatic diseases]

To establish the risk of tuberculosis reactivation in subjects who had severe somatic conditions, 103 patients were observed in a multiprofile general hospital and followed-up for 1-3 years after their discharge. A potential and actual risk (estimated to be 78.0 +/- 6.5 and 7.3 +/- 4.0% of the cases, respectively) for recurrent tuberculosis was recorded as a result of the excretion of conditionally stable and unstable M. tuberculosis L-forms. The importance of the nature and the degree of residual tuberculous changes in view of a specific process reactivation risk for the patients was confirmed. It was indicated that the persons with severe somatic conditions and residual tuberculous changes in respiratory organs made up a tuberculosis risk group to be observed by a phthisiologist.