Chest, Vol 88, 726-729, Copyright © 1985 by American College of Chest Physicians

ARTICLES

Tuberculosis. Cause of death in antibiotic era

CE Davis Jr, JL Carpenter, CK McAllister, J Matthews, BA Bush and AJ Ognibene

A five-year review (1979 to 1983) of 41 patients with active tuberculosis at the time of death was performed to determine the cause of death. Twenty deaths (49 percent) were directly attributed to tuberculosis. Overwhelming tuberculous disease was the cause of death for seven patients, and among them the majority had strikingly low serum levels of albumin. Ten patients died of either massive hemoptysis or respiratory failure. Only two patients died due to progressive drug- resistant disease in an area where drug resistance is common. The majority of patients (21/41; 51 percent) died of common medical problems unrelated to tuberculosis. Eleven patients died from cardiopulmonary disease (five pulmonary emboli, one respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, two acute myocardial infarctions, and two primary dysrhythmias). Three deaths were the result of gastrointestinal bleeding, and three patients died as a result of bacterial superinfection. Our data indicate that patients still die of tuberculosis in the era of effective antituberculosis therapy. It is imperative that clinicians are aware that pulmonary emboli, arteriosclerotic heart disease, bacterial superinfection, and gastrointestinal bleeding cause approximately 50 percent of the deaths among patients who have tuberculosis and that prompt recognition and treatment of those diseases might decrease the mortality from tuberculosis.