[20 years' treatment of urogenital tuberculosis with reference to the epidemiology and the general tuberculosis situation].

After introductory remarks on the historical development of the treatment of patients with UGT, the general tuberculosis situation in the GDR is referred to. With the steady decline in tuberculosis of the respiratory system, a clear reduction in the rate of new cases of UGT was registered from 1972 on, due to the well-known late manifestation of the disease. In 1980, 164 new cases of urological tuberculosis were registered, which represent a rate of less than 1 (0.97) new case per 100,000 head of population for the first time. It has been possible to reduce the total duration of medicinal treatment to 9 months from an original figure of 2 years. Despite the use of highly effective aggressive anti-tuberculosis agents the rate of nephrectomy in our patients is 27%, whereby in the last 6 years as many as 31% of all patients with UGT have undergone nephrectomy in the course of treatment. In 20 of these 54 patients the nephrectomy had already been performed elsewhere and UGT was diagnosed from histological examination of the surgical specimen. Neglected cases have become more common in the last 6 years. UGT has been diagnosed very late, whereby it has been observed that patients with pronounced tubercular changes have been little affected in their general state of health. In one case urotuberculosis appeared after a kidney allotransplantation from a dead donor.