Tuberculosis at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.

SETTING

Edendale Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, a 1275-bed hospital that serves a mainly ethnic African population of 1.6 million.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of hospitalised active tuberculosis (TB) cases, and correlates of their in-hospital survival.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study of adult TB cases admitted to the medical wards, 16 November to 13 December 2001.

RESULTS

Of 760 (28%) admissions, 215 had active TB, of whom 26.5% died in hospital. Patients were mostly young, first diagnosed on admission, and had pulmonary TB. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection was common and predicted by lower absolute lymphocyte count (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.05-1.38). Extra-pulmonary TB, including pleural and pericardial, was significantly associated with not having HIV infection. In-hospital death was predicted by TB diagnosed prior to admission (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.67-6.07), acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) associated disease, and higher total leukocyte count--by higher leukocytes only in patients without AIDS (OR 8.52, 95% CI 2.67-27.13).

CONCLUSION

Active TB was common in in-patients at an acute care hospital. TB patients presented late in disease and had high in-hospital mortality. Early detection and effective treatment of active TB in the community is likely to reduce hospitalisation and improve survival.