SECONDARY INACTIVE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS AND NONSPECIFIC BRONCHIAL REACTIVITY

Bronchial reactivity to methacholine was examined in three groups of s mokers (N= 93): subjects with secondary inactive pulmonary tuberculosi s (TPI) 2 years after the beginning of treatment (N= 44); subjects wit h asymptomatic chronic bronchitis (N= 25) and healthy controls (N= 24) . Mean PC(20)FEV(1) was 9.54 (SD 6.05), 11.12 (SD 5.42) and 13.74 (SD 4.7) respectively (tuberculosis vs control, p< 0.02). According to the arbitrary criteria for bronchial asthma. nonspecific hyperreactivity was present in 50% of subjects with TPI, in 37.5% of bronchitic patien ts and in 16% of control subjects. No difference was found with regard to PC(20)FEV(1), the chemotherapeutic regimen (9 or 12 months of ther apy), results of tuberculin test (normo and hyperreactive) and X-ray f indings determined before the onset of treatment. Mahalanobis statisti cal analysis with respect to smoking index, basal ventilatory function tests and nonspecific bronchial reactivity grouped together healthy v olunteers and subjects with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis apart from the group with asymptomatic chronic bronchitis.