The causes of death of tuberculosis patients in chemotherapy era

Detailed analysis was made on causes of death among tuberculosis patients hospitalized in national sanatoria and those registered as tuberculosis at the breath centres. Deaths directly or indirectly related to tuberculosis could be divided into the following four major categories; dying with active tuberculosis process shortly after the detection due to the delay in detection, with active process combined with the emergence of drug resistance long after the detection due to failure in treatment, with sequela of tuberculosis mainly cardiopulmonary insufficiency, and with other conditions listed as non-tuberculosis death but attributable to either active or inactive tuberculosis. The ratio of these four categories at present in Japan is estimated to be approximately 1:1:2:4-6. The results indicate that the magnitude of tuberculosis problem should not be underestimated through decline in the crude tuberculosis mortality.