Pulmonary tuberculosis in Scotland: a national sample survey and follow-up (1968-70). 1. The characteristics of the cases notified in 1968.

A survey has been undertaken of a 50 per cent random sample of 865 patients notified as having pulmonary tuberculosis in 1968 in Scotland. The estimated notification rate for the total population was 33.3 per 100,000. The highest rate for males was 89.8 for those aged 55 or more and for females 29.5 for those aged 25 to 54. The rates for bacteriologically confirmed cases were 51.6 and 16.0, respectively, for these two groups. An independent radiological assessor reported the characteristic appearances of active tuberculosis in 50 per cent of the chest radiographs. Nearly half the patients were referred by general practitioners and 20 per cent were hospital inpatients when diagnosed. Contacts and mass radiography services produced many fewer cases and the proportion of infectious cases in these groups was low. The notification procedure is discussed and it is suggested that as progress towards eradication is made notification information is inadequate, and that standardised supplementary information on severity of disease and infectiousness should be collected, annually or periodically.