TUBERCULOSIS AS CAUSE OF DEATH

Despite the availability of an effective treatment for most cases, tub erculosis (TB) is still a cause of death in our environment. The necro psic sections of patients died because of TB during the 1987-1996 peri od at Hospital Clinico de San Carlos, Madrid, were reviewed. The inves tigated data from each patient included age, gender, chronology of sug gestive symptoms of TB, degree of histological involvement, radiologic al pattern in chest X-ray, delay in initiating therapy, concomitant di seases and other alternative diagnosed considered. The delay in diagno sis was the main cause for TB mortality. Advanced age, delay in seekin g medical care and the presence of atypical clinical and radiological patterns contributed to the fatal end. Other factors included alcoholi sm and immunodeficiency.