[Respiratory tuberculosis in Seine-Saint-Denis. Results of treatment]

A study was carried out in 1984-1986 in Seine-Saint-Denis on the clinical management of tuberculous cases. It was possible to observe in routine practice the nature, duration and results of treatment in 336 adult cases suffering for the first time from respiratory tuberculosis. The recommendations of the French Society of Pneumology were taken as a reference. A minority of patients (22%) were treated entirely at home. The others were admitted to hospital then treated at home (33%) or had a stay in a sanatorium (45%). The mean duration of stay in institutions was five months for those patients staying in a sanatorium. The most common therapeutic regime in the initial phase consisted of rifampicin and isoniazid, with additional ethambutol alone (60%) or ethambutol in combination with pyrazinamide (15%). The mean duration of treatment was 10.5 months, without any difference between those regimes consisting of three or four drugs. At the end of the period of treatment 85% of patients were considered to be cured; 16 patients (or 5%) had died and 18 patients (6%) were lost to follow up before the end of treatment. There were 15 patients (or 4%) who showed no significant change between the beginning and the end of the study.