MILIARY TUBERCULOSIS IN A HIGH PREVALENCE AREA OF THE UK - BLACKBURN 1978-1993

Thirty-nine cases of miliary tuberculosis treated between 1978-1993 in a district with a high incidence of tuberculosis are reported. Twenty -eight patients were of Indian Subcontinent (ISC) ethnic origin, 10 pa tients were Caucasian and one patient was Chinese. Mortality at 10% in both Caucasian (chi(2) 4.94; 0.05>P>0.01) and ISC patients (chi(2) 10 .22; 0.001>P) were significantly lower than in a recently reported ser ies from Edinburgh, as was the proportion of post mortem diagnoses of miliary tuberculosis (chi(2) 635; 0.02>P0.01). Both the rate of miliar y tuberculosis and the average age at diagnosis in Caucasian patients were lower than in the Edinburgh series suggesting that miliary tuberc ulosis could be under-diagnosed in the elderly Caucasian population in the Blackburn district. The better outcome of those diagnosed in life may be partly due to heightened awareness of tuberculosis locally and partly due to treatment by a centralized tuberculosis service.