[Deficiencies in the early detection of pulmonary tuberculosis and the possibilities for their elimination]

The investigation into the causes of late detection of pulmonary tuberculosis involving scrutiny of case records, data on new-onset cases, follow-up, protocols on the analysis of missed diagnoses has been performed for 772 cases registered in the Vinnitsa region through 1989-1991. The authors came to the conclusion that the shortcomings revealed in tuberculosis detection are primarily due to: violation of standard requirements as regards identification of primary tuberculosis; insufficient alertness of general practitioners related to possible tuberculosis; low quality of fluorographic examinations, unsatisfactory examinations of subjects suffering from chronic nonspecific pulmonary diseases, chronic alcoholics, diabetics, gastroduodenal ulcer patients; radiation hazards.