• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.25-35
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• 1999

Background : The treatment for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis(MDRTB) is encountered to be important clinically, but there are still a few reports about it all over the world. So, we evaluated the outcomes of only chemotherapy for the pulmonary MDRTB retrospectively. Method: We reviewed the clinical courses of 63 patients with pulmonary disease due to M.tuberculosis resistant to rifampin and isoniazid who were under follow-up between March 1996 and June 1996 after hospitalization at our hospital between January 1993 and January 1996. We performed cohort retrospective study for all these patient's records. Their regimens were selected individually and preferably included four medications that they had not been given previously and to which the strain was fully susceptible. Results: The 63 patients(mean age, 43.2 years) had previously received a median 5.1drugs. Fifty two(82.5%) patients responded to chemotherapy(as indicated by negative sputum cultures for at least three consecutive months) ; eleven patients(17.5 %) had no response, as shown by continually positive cultures. In a univariate analysis, an unfavorable response was significantly associated with greater number of resistant drugs before the current courses of therapy(relative risk 21.5 ; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2-3.0; p<0.05). The mean period of follow-up was seventeen months. There was no relapse suooequently among the patients with responses. There was no death related to tuberculosis. Conclusion: In this report from National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital in Korea, multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis responded relatively well to carefully selected regimens.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.70 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2011

Background: The clinical manifestation of $M.$ $tuberculosis$ infection ranges from asymptomatic latent infection, to focal forms with minimal symptoms and low bacterial burdens, and finally to advanced tuberculosis (TB) with severe symptoms and high bacillary loads. We investigated the diagnostic sensitivity of the whole-blood interferon-${\gamma}$ release assay according to the wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes. Methods: In patients diagnosed with active TB that underwent $QuantiFERON^{(R)}$ (QFT) testing, the QFT results were compared with patients known to be infected with pulmonary tuberculosis (P-TB) and extra-pulmonary TB (EP-TB). In addition, the results of the QFT test were further analyzed according to the radiographic extent of disease in patients with P-TB and the location of disease in patients with EP-TB. Results: There were no statistical differences in the overall distribution of QFT results between 177 patients with P-TB and 84 patients with EP-TB; the positive results of QFT test in patients with P-TB and EP-TB were 70.1% and 64.3%, respectively. Among patients with P-TB, patients with mild extents of disease showed higher frequency of positive results of QFT test than that of patients with severe form (75.2% vs. 57.1%, respectively; p=0.043) mainly due to an increase of indeterminate results in severe P-TB. Patients with TB pleurisy showed lower sensitivity by the QFT test than those with tuberculous lymphadenitis (48.8% vs. 78.8%, respectively; p=0.019). Conclusion: Although QFT test showed similar results between overall patients with P-TB and EP-TB, individual sensitivity was different according to the radiographic extent of disease in P-TB and the location of disease in EP-TB.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.239-244
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• 1997

Among the patients presented with the chief complaint of voice change, the one with unilaterally injected vocal fold was occasionally found at the out patient clinic. The most patients had rarely improved in symptom with conservative treatment under the impression of chronic laryngitis. Some papers were reported that the injected vocal fold(s) is due to laryngeal tuberculosis hick is sometimes associated with pulmonary tuberculosis. We investigated six patients presented unilaterally injected vocal fold with videolaryngoscope and performed histopathologic confirm with laryngeal biopsy respectively. There were low cases of laryngeal tuberculosis, one case of squamous cell carcinoma and one case of chronic larngitis. Proper management was done according to the tissue diagnosis. Pretretment and posttreatment videolaryngoscopic findings as well as some literature review were done.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.128-132
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• 1996

Tuberculosis in children is an important disease because of higher incidence and mortality, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the cause of antituberculosis medication in children and to find out the basic data for proper drug regimen. We reviewed the medical records of 198 patients who had been treated with antituberculosis drugs from Jan. 1991 to Dec. 1993 in Anam Hospital of Korea University Medical Center. The results are as following; 1) Of 198 patients, 69 cases(34.8%) had treated due to BCG complications. They were all medicated with INH. The durations of medication were 3 months in 46 patients(66.7%), 4~6 months in 17 patients(5.8%), 7~9 months in 4 patients(5.8%), 10-12 months in 2 patients(2.9%). 2) Of 198 patients, 68 cases(34.3%) had treated due to chemoprophylaxis, 59 patients (29.8% of all cases) had histories of house hold contact. Of 68 cases, 51 patients (86.4%) were medicated with INH only, 8 patients (13.6%) were medicated with INH and RFP. 3) Other causes of antituberculosis medication were tuberculous lymphadenitis(14.1%), pulmonary tuberculosis(10.6%), meningitis, miliary tuberculosis(2.0%), and pleurisy(2.0%). Most common causes of antituberculosis medications in children were complication of BCG vaccination and chemoprophylaxis after household contact. So early detection of adult tuberculosis and development of convenient diagnostic methods and safe vaccine for childhood tuberculosis is necessary.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 1983

During the last three years, it has become evident that patients with tuberculosis-like diseases due to the Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex(referred to M. avium complex; MAC) in Korea are more frequently observed than were assumed earlier. However, the incidence of various serotypes of the MAC isolated from patients with tuberculosis-like diseases has not been clarified. In this study, the serotypes of 16 strains of the MAC isolated from sputa of persons who had radiographic abnormalities of the lungs were determined by bacterial agglutination test with reference sera. The serotypable strains belonged to 7 serotypes, i.e., M. avium 13 were 4 strains(25.0%), M. avium 8 and 14 each 3 strains(18.8%), M. avium 5, 7, 12 and 18 one strain(6.3%), respectively. Two strains(12.5%) were not typable.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2012

Background: The epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) has been assessed based on the data of the analysis of TB patients notified to the surveillance system in Korea. However, the national status of TB is not validated through this surveillance system. The objective is to determine the epidemiology of TB and to understand the accurate status of TB patients treated in private institutions. Methods: Medical records of 53,579 patients who had been diagnosed with TB in 2008 were analyzed. Results: Among 53,579 patients, the number of sputum smear positive cases was 15,639(29.2%) and the number of new cases was 39,191 (73.1%). The drug resistance rate of new cases was 5.3%, while the rate stood at 13.3% for TB patients with treatment history. The number of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients was 2,472 (4.6%), which consists of 2.9% of new cases and 9.3% of TB patients with prior treatment history. The number of extensively drug-resistant TB patients was 749 (1.4%), consisting of 1.1% of new cases and 2.2% of TB patients with prior treatment history. In terms of treatment outcomes, 66.4% of all TB patients, 70.5% of new cases, 64.4% of relapse cases, and 46.8% of MDR-TB cases were cured or completed. It was inferred that in 2008, the total number of TB patients reached 70,767, 145.6 per 100,000 people (95% confidence interval, 145.5~145.7). Conclusion: We conclude that the medical records review of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) data can be very effective in promoting the understanding of the current status of TB in private institutions.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.32-41
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• 2019

Purpose: In order to prevent tuberculosis transmission early, it is important to diagnose and treat tuberculosis infection by investigating people who have contact with patients with active tuberculosis. Methods: From July 2014 to June 2017, the intrafamilial childhood contacts of the patients who were diagnosed with active tuberculosis at Chungnam National University Hospital were investigated for the presence of tuberculosis infection. We also retrospectively analyzed the treatment status of children treated with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) during the same period. Results: Among the 269 children who had intrafamilial contact with active tuberculosis patient, 20 (7.4%) did not receive any screening. At the first screening, one (0.4%) was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, seven (2.8%) had a previous history of tuberculosis infection, and 42 patients (16.9%) were diagnosed with LTBI. At the second screening, 29 patients (11.6%) were diagnosed with LTBI, and 61 patients did not finish the investigation. Only 188 (69.9%) out of 269 patients completed the investigation. Ninety patients received treatment for LTBI and 83 patients (92.2%) completed the treatment, of which 18 patients had side effects such as rash, fatigue, and gastrointestinal symptoms. However, there were no serious side effects requiring treatment discontinuation. Conclusions: The completion rate of childhood tuberculosis contact investigation was low, but the completion rate of LTBI treatment was high in children without serious side effects. In order to prevent and manage the spread of tuberculosis, active private-public partnership efforts and education of the patient and guardian are needed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2005

Background : Endobronchial tuberculosis often complicates bronchostenosis, which can cause dyspnea due to an airway obstruction, and can be misdiagnosed as bronchial asthma or lung cancer. This study investigated the possible correlation between the $interferon-{\gamma}$($IFN-{\gamma}$) and transforming growth $factor-{\beta}$($TGF-{\beta}$) levels in the serum and bronchial washing fluid and the treatment results in endobronchial tuberculosis patients. Methods : Sixteen patients, who were diagnosed as endobronchial tuberculosis using bronchoscopy, and 10 healthy control subjects were enrolled in this study. The $IFN-{\gamma}$ and $TGF-{\beta}$ levels were measured in the serum and bronchial washing fluid of 16 endobronchial tuberculosis patients before and after treatment using the ELISA method. The endobronchial tuberculosis patients were divided into those who showed bronchial fibrostenosis after treatment and those who did not. Results : The $IFN-{\gamma}$ and $TGF-{\beta}$ levels in the bronchial washing fluid in endobronchial tuberculosis patients were elevated comparing to the control (p<0.05). After treatment, 7 of the 16 endobronchial tuberculosis patients showed bronchial fibrostenosis and the other 9 cases healed without this sequela. In the patients with fibrostenosis after treatment, the initial serum $TGF-{\beta}$ level was lower than the patients without fibrostenosis after treatment (p<0.05). Moreover, the serum $TGF-{\beta}$ level after treatment further decreased comparing to the patients without fibrostenosis after treatment(p<0.05). Conclusion : Elevated $IFN-{\gamma}$ and $TGF-{\beta}$ levels in the bronchial washing fluid in endobronchial tuberculosis patients are believed to be related to the pathogenesis of endobronchial tuberculosis. The decreased initial serum $TGF-{\beta}$ level and the change in the serum $TGF-{\beta}$ level after treatment are believed to be involved in bronchial fibrostenosis during the course of the disease.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.218-225
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• 2010

Background: Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a useful technique to recover lower airway fluid and cells involved in many respiratory diseases. Miliary tuberculosis is potentially lethal, but the clinical manifestations are nonspecific and typical radiologic findings may not be seen until late in the course of disease. In addition, invasive procedures are often needed to confirm disease diagnosis. This study analyzed the cells and the T-lymphocyte subset in BAL fluid from patients with miliary tuberculosis to determine specific characteristics of BAL fluid that may help in the diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis, using a less invasive procedure. Methods: On a retrospective basis, we enrolled 20 miliary tuberculosis patients; 12 patients were male and the mean patient age was $40.5{\pm}16.2$ years. We analyzed differential cell counts of BAL fluid and the T-lymphocyte subset of BAL fluid. Results: Total cells and lymphocytes were increased in number in the BAL fluid. The percentage of CD4+ Tlymphocytes and the CD4/CD8 ratio in BAL fluid were significantly decreased and the percentage of CD8+ T-lymphocytes was relatively higher. These findings were more prominent in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the HIV-infected patients, the proportion of lymphocytes was significantly higher in BAL fluid than in peripheral blood. There were no significant differences between the BAL fluid and the peripheral blood T-lymphocytes subpopulation. Conclusion: BAL fluid in patients with miliary tuberculosis demonstrated lymphocytosis, a lower percentage of CD4+ T-lymphocytes, a higher percentage of CD8+ T-lymphocytes, and a decreased CD4/CD8 ratio. These findings were more significant in HIV-infected subjects.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has infected more than two billion individuals worldwide, of whom 5%-10% have clinically active disease and 90%-95% remain in the latent stage with a reservoir of viable bacteria in the macrophages for extended periods of time. The tubercle bacilli at this stage are usually called dormant, non-viable, and/or non-culturable microorganisms. The patients with latent bacilli will not have clinical pictures and are not infectious. The infections in about 2%-23% of the patients with latent status become reactivated for various reasons such as cancer, human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes, and/or aging. Many studies have examined the mechanisms involved in the latent state of Mycobacterium and showed that latency modified the expression of many genes. Therefore, several mechanisms will change in this bacterium. Hence, this study aimed to briefly examine the genes involved in the latent state as well as the changes that are caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The study also evaluated the relationship between the functions of these genes.