Kenmerken en behandeling van tuberculosepatiënten in Dekkerswald, 2000-2005

To describe the patient population in Dekkerswald, Nijmegen, one of two tuberculosis (TB) centres in the Netherlands.

Design

Descriptive, retrospective study.

Method

Examination of medical records for all TB patients hospitalised between 2000 and 2005, including demographic, social, clinical and follow-up data.

Results

Data from 166 patients were analysed. Tertiary referrals accounted for 98 of all hospitalisations. Most patients (68) were referred for clinical reasons, and 32 were referred for social reasons. Drug resistance was encountered in 23 of patients; 9 had multidrug-resistant TB. Ten percent of patients were seropositive for HIV. Toxicity and side-effects of treatment often led to changes in treatment (40). Patients had pulmonary TB (59), extrapulmonary TB (23) or both (17). Overall, 141 patients (85) completed treatment. The TB-related mortality rate was 5.

Conclusion

In Dekkerswald, there is a selected patient population that is characterised by drug-resistance, comorbidity, side-effects, extrapulmonary disease and social issues. Due to the low prevalence of TB in the Netherlands, knowledge and experience regarding complex types of TB are limited. Centralisation of patient care is important to preserve and optimise this expertise.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2008;152:622-6