Is the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis delayed by the use of antibiotics?
SETTING: Effective tuberculosis (TB) control requires prompt diagnosis of infectious cases through early suspicion of pulmonary TB in all subjects with suspected respiratory infection. OBJECTIVE: To test our hypothesis that prior antibiotic treatment for presumed bacterial infection leads to a delay in diagnosing TB in a European country with low TB incidence. DESIGN: Adults with culture-confirmed pulmonary TB at a single metropolitan centre were assessed for the impact of any previous antibiotic treatment on symptoms and the time to starting specific anti-tuberculosis treatment. RESULTS: Of 83 patients, 42 (51%) received antibiotics prior to TB diagnosis, with symptomatic improvement reported in 20 of the 42 (48%) patients. This was unrelated to specific drug class. Although the median time to diagnosis in subjects receiving antibiotics was prolonged (P=0.001), this was not predicted by treatment response. In 94% of cases, the initial chest radiograph was suggestive of TB infection. C
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