Performance of spirometry assessment at TB diagnosis

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Infectious Diseases
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Spirometry is vital for diagnosing and monitoring lung disease after tuberculosis (TB).
• Current practices show limited spirometry use in newly diagnosed TB patients.
• Addressing barriers to spirometry is essential for comprehensive TB care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and findings of spirometry in newly diagnosed TB patients.
• To identify the proportion of patients with abnormal spirometry results.
• To evaluate the prevalence of severe pulmonary impairment at TB diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Recruited newly diagnosed, microbiologically confirmed TB patients.
• Performed spirometry within 21 days of TB treatment initiation following ATS/ERS guidelines.
• Utilized Global Lung Initiative equations for standardized spirometry analysis.

Main Results:

• Over 47% of eligible patients had spirometry not performed or invalid.
• 52.3% had valid spirometry, with 82.8% of those showing abnormal results.
• 26.3% of patients with abnormal spirometry had severe lung impairment.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of TB patients experience spirometry challenges (not performed/invalid).
• High rates of abnormal spirometry and severe lung impairment at diagnosis indicate substantial morbidity.
• Recommendations include revising contraindications and further research on spirometry's predictive value for chronic lung disease post-TB.