[Evaluation of the efficiency of a hospital stage of treatment in delivering antituberculous care to mental patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis].

The analysis of the results of treatment of two groups of patients from psychotuberculosis units of a mental hospital has shown the advantages of long-term continuous hospital treatment in these patients. In the patients receiving continuous hospital treatment for 3 years, positive changes in the course of pulmonary tuberculosis were observed in 83.5 +/- 2.8% of cases, which is 8 times more frequently than a progressive process (17 (10 +/- 2.3%) patients), p < 0.01. In those who were discharged from hospital many times due to their improved mental state, improvement was achieved in 57.4 +/- 6.3% and the chronic undulating course of the process was observed in 32.8 +/- 6%. It is stated that it is necessary to develop new statutory acts regulating the discharge of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and mental disorders (including chronic alcoholism) depending not only their mental state, but also the epidemic hazard they pose.