[Comparison of the clinical features of smear-positive and culture-positive tuberculous patients with smear-negative and culture-positive patients in an education hospital].

The clinical features of 27 smear-positive and culture-positive tuberculous patients (Group 1) were compared with those of 39 smear-negative and culture-positive patients (Group 2) experienced in our hospital. The proportion of the patients who have underlying diseases was lower in Group 1 than Group 2. Ninety-five % of the patients in Group 1 showed positive PPD skin reaction in comparison with 73% of the patients in Group 2. In most of the patients in Group 1, the chest X-ray findings were typical ones for pulmonary tuberculosis, but 36% of the patients in Group 2 showed atypical X-ray findings. Final diagnosis was more difficult for the patients in Group 2 than Group 1. Almost all patients in Group 1 could be diagnosed within a few days and were referred to a tuberculosis hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis. On the contrary, by the patients in Group 2, the final diagnosis was delayed more than one month until the results of culture was available. Also, many patients in this group had underlying disease and only 8 patients could be transferred to a tuberculosis hospital.