Purpose: To examine the clinical features of ultra-old patients over 85 years of age who were admitted to our hospital for tuberculosis treatment.
Methods: Clinical features of tuberculosis patients over 85 years of age who were admitted to our hospital from January, 1996 to May, 2003 were analyzed in relation to their disease status, complications and prognosis.
Results: They showed a high tuberculin negative rate (26.2%) and a low rate of cavity formation (21.8%), and the smear positive rate of tubercle bacilli was not high (51.2%). As to the complications, cerebrovascular disorders were overwhelmingly high (62.2%) and the death rate due to side effects of drugs was high. The sputum smear positive rate was higher (70%) among patients from nursing home.
Conclusion: The diagnosis of tuberculosis was often delayed with high mortality rate due to side effects of drugs among ultra-old patients and tuberculosis infection control measures to contacts are often needed.