Purpose: To clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis undergoing home oxygen therapy.
Objects and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of those with newly-introduced home oxygen therapy for the sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis from 1998 through 2001, using national hospital network of respiratory diseases.
Results: The study subjects were 402 in total (271 men and 131 women), who started the home oxygen therapy at the age ranging between 33 and 100 years (72.2 +/- 8.1 years, mean +/- S.D.). They suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis at the mean age of 37.7 +/- 19.4 years, and the interval leading to oxygen therapy averaged 33.1 +/- 19.1 years. Sixty-eight percent of these patients demonstrated body mass index (BMI) less than 20. Pulmonary function studies revealed the markedly-decreased vital capacity (46.2 +/- 15.0%) as well as reduced FEV1/FVC (68.5 +/- 18.8%). Arterial blood gases measured when home oxygen therapy was introduced showed hypoxemia (Pa(O2), 60.4 +/- 10.7 Torr) with hypercapnea (Pa(CO2), 50.5 +/- 9.4 Torr). The average flow rate of oxygen was 0.94 +/- 0.64 L/min at rest and 1.51 +/- 0.70 L/min on exertion. The patients were divided into two groups; those with surgical intervention including thoracoplasty or lung resection (126 cases, group 1) and those without surgery (148 cases, group 2). The mean age of the patients in the group 1 when home oxygen therapy was started was 72.3 +/- 6.4 years and 71.6 +/- 9.1 years in the group 2, respectively. Subjects in group 1 were more likely suffered from TB in younger age than those in group 2 (28.2 +/- 9.7 vs. 45.4 +/- 21.5 years, p < 0.01), and had the longer duration to initiate domiciliary oxygen therapy (43.0 +/- 10.9 vs. 25.3 +/- 20.3years, p<0.01). The former was also more likely to have lower % VC (p < 0.01), more elevated Pa(CO2) (p<0.05), and lower inspired flow rate of oxygen (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to BMI, FEV1/FVC, or
Conclusion: Our investigation demonstrated that patients with sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis under oxygen therapy revealed the different clinical course and characteristics regarding the presence or absence of previous surgical intervention.