English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Ceylon Medical Journal Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a communicable disease with significant mortality and morbidity. Most of the in-ward patients diagnosed with PTB are emaciated and pale on presentation. It appears that they have been suffering from the illness for a long time. An early diagnosis of the disease that enables the intiation of specific chemotherapy would not only reduce the morbidity and mortality, but also the spread of the disease. A Spanish study has revealed that doctors were responsible for delayed diagnosis in 75% of cases [1] The patient’s ignorance as well as inaccessibility to health care facilities are some of the reasons for delay in diagnosis[2]. Analysis of surveillance data in London 1998–2000 has revealed that the gap between the onset of symptoms of PTB and diagnosis or treatment was more common for white people and for women. This might be because PTB may be suspected more readily among men, blacks or Asian people [3]. PTB is not thought of as a possible diagnosis unless there is a particular reason to do so. We have been too bold in treating all patients with cough, fever, and shortness of breath as simple respiratory tract infection, and consider PTB as a ‘second line’ possibility when the patient does not respond to treatment. The lack of sensitivity and specificity of the symptoms, signs, and investigations of PTB too have a role to play in delaying the diagnosis [4,5]. We conducted a study to find out the duration between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of tuberculosis, and to find out the possible causes for any delay in diagnosis. We studied all the in-ward patients with PTB of all the three general medical units of the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, over a period of one year from 1 November 2002. We also perused the case notes, results of investigations, and referral notes to gather the relevant information. Confirmatory laboratory data for inclusion included positive sputum smears for acid fast bacilli (AFB). Up to eight samples of sputum were tested for AFB in the recruits. All sputum negative patients were excluded from the study. In those patients with suspected tuberculous lymphadenopathy, an essential prerequisite for inclusion was the presence of the typical histological evidence of tuberculosis on biopsy of the lymph nodes. One hundred and six patients were initially recruited for the study when PTB was the first diagnostic possibility based on the clinical presentation and findings on chest radiography. Laboratory data confirmed tuberculosis in 64 patients. Tuberculosis was found to be more prevalent in the middle age group—51% of the patients were between 41 and 60 years. Seventy seven per cent of them were males. Nearly 55% of the patients had been seen by more than one doctor before hospital admission. Twenty Research letters

Is there a delay in diagnosing tuberculosis? Experience in a Teaching Hospital