Search

Objective. To investigate the prevalence and risk factors for persistent symptoms up to 12 months after hospital discharge in COVID-19 survivors. Methods. This prospective cohort study included patients with COVID-19 discharged from a university hospital in Brazil. Follow-up was performed 2, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Lung function tests and chest computed tomography (CT) were performed 2 months after discharge and were repeated if abnormal. The primary outcomes were the symptoms present, work status, and limitations in daily activities. Results. Eighty-eight patients were included. Dyspnea (54.5%), fatigue (50.0%), myalgia, and muscle weakness (46.6%) were the most common symptoms, which decreased over time. Anxiety was frequent (46.6%) and remained unchanged. One year after discharge, 43.2% of the patients reported limitations in daily activities, and 17.6% had not returned to work. Corticosteroid use was significantly associated with dyspnea and limitations in daily activities. Females had an increased risk of fatigue at the 12-month assessment, with marginal significance after multivariable adjustment. Young age and bronchial wall thickening on admission CT were also risk factors for dyspnea at follow-up. The most common lung function abnormalities were reduced diffusion capacity and small airway disease, which partially improved over time. Conclusions. One year after hospital discharge, more than one-third of patients still had persistent COVID-19-related symptoms, remarkable dyspnea, fatigue, and limitations in daily activities, regardless of acute disease severity. Age, female sex, corticosteroid use during hospitalization, and bronchial thickening on admission CT were associated with an increased risk of sequelae.

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência de resistência primária aos medicamentos do esquema básico de tratamento antituberculose em pacientes com tuberculose pulmonar virgens de tratamento sem fatores de risco conhecidos para resistência primária, e identificar os possíveis fatores associados à resistência medicamentosa. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal exploratório com a análise de prontuários de pacientes que participaram de dois ensaios clínicos de tuberculose sensível entre 1&º de novembro de 2004 e 31 de março de 2011 no Ambulatório Prof. Newton Bethlem do Instituto de Doenças do Tórax da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Os critérios de inclusão foram ter idade > 18 anos, ter pesquisa direta de BAAR positiva na primeira amostra de escarro, ter cultura positiva para Mycobacterium tuberculosis, ter realizado testes de sensibilidade aos fármacos, ser virgem de tratamento para tuberculose e não ter história de prisão, hospitalização ou contato com caso de tuberculose resistente. RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos 209 pacientes. A prevalência de resistência primária geral foi de 16,3%. A prevalência geral de resistência à isoniazida e à estreptomicina foi, respectivamente, 9,6% e 9,1%, enquanto a prevalência de monorresistência à isoniazida e à estreptomicina foi de, respectivamente, 5,8% e 6,8%. A prevalência de resistência a dois ou mais fármacos foi de 3,8%, e a prevalência de tuberculose multirresistente foi de 0,5%. Não foram observadas associações estatisticamente significativas entre as variáveis estudadas e resultados do teste de sensibilidade aos fármacos. CONCLUSÕES: Na amostra estudada, a prevalência de resistência primária foi elevada apesar da ausência de fatores de risco conhecidos.OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of primary resistance to the drugs in the basic treatment regimen for tuberculosis in treatment-naïve patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and no known risk factors for such resistance, as well as to identify factors potentially associated with drug resistance. METHODS: This was an exploratory cross-sectional study. We analyzed the medical records of the subjects enrolled in two clinical trials of treatments for drug-susceptible tuberculosis between November 1, 2004 and March 31, 2011 at the Prof. Newton Bethlem Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Thoracic Diseases Institute, located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The inclusion criteria were being > 18 years of age, testing positive for AFB in the first sputum sample, having a positive culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, having undergone drug susceptibility testing, and being treatment-naïve. Patients with a history of imprisonment or hospitalization were excluded, as were those who had been in contact with drug-resistant tuberculosis patients. RESULTS: We included 209 patients. The overall prevalence of primary drug resistance was 16.3%. The overall prevalence of resistance to isoniazid and streptomycin was, respectively, 9.6% and 9.1%, compared with 5.8% and 6.8% for single-drug resistance to isoniazid and streptomycin, respectively. The prevalence of resistance to two or more drugs was 3.8%, and the prevalence of multidrug resistance was 0.5%. No statistically significant associations were found between the variables studied and drug susceptibility testing results. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, the prevalence of primary drug resistance was high despite the absence of known risk factors.

OBJETIVO: Estimar o tempo entre o início dos sintomas e o início do tratamento de pacientes com tuberculose pulmonar virgens de tratamento e com resultado positivo na baciloscopia direta do escarro, assim como avaliar as variáveis associadas à demora no diagnóstico e no início do tratamento. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo exploratório em pacientes virgens de tratamento para tuberculose, com idade > 12 anos e resultado positivo para BAAR no escarro. Entre 2006 e 2008, os 199 pacientes incluídos no estudo foram entrevistados, e seus exames complementares foram revisados no momento da consulta para o início de tratamento para tuberculose em uma unidade básica de saúde no município de Nova Iguaçu (RJ). RESULTADOS: As medianas (e seus respectivos intervalos interquartílicos) para o tempo entre o início dos sintomas e o início do tratamento, o tempo até a procura por atendimento médico, o tempo até o diagnóstico e o tempo até o início do tratamento, em semanas, foram, respectivamente, 11 (6-24), 8 (4-20), 2 (1-8) e 1 (1-1).As variáveis gênero, idade, escolaridade, uso prévio de antibióticos, status HIV, local da primeira consulta médica e extensão radiológica da doença não se associaram ao tempo até o diagnóstico ou ao tempo até o início do tratamento. A principal razão para a demora dos pacientes em procurar o serviço de saúde foi sua dificuldade em reconhecer seus sintomas como indicativos de doença. CONCLUSÕES: Os tempos até o diagnóstico e até o início do tratamento para tuberculose foram inaceitavelmente longos na amostra estudada.OBJECTIVE: To estimate the time elapsed between the onset of symptoms and the initiation of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis among treatment-naïve patients with positive results in sputum smear microscopy, and to evaluate the variables associated with delays in diagnosis and in treatment initiation. METHODS: This was a descriptive exploratory study involving 199 treatment-naïve tuberculosis patients > 12 years of age with AFB-positive sputum smear microscopy results between 2006 and 2008. At their first (treatment initiation) visit to a primary health care clinic in the city of Nova Iguaçu, Brazil, the patients were interviewed and their ancillary test results were reviewed. RESULTS: The medians (and respective interquartile ranges) of the time from symptom onset to the initiation of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, from symptom onset to seeking medical attention, from entry into care to diagnosis, and from entry into care to treatment initiation, in weeks, were 11 (6-24), 8 (4-20), 2 (1-8), and 1 (1-1), respectively. The variables gender, age, level of education, previous use of antibiotics, HIV status, site of first medical visit, and radiological extent of tuberculosis showed no associations with the time from entry into care to diagnosis and to treatment initiation. The main reason for the delay in seeking medical attention reported by the patients was their inability to recognize their symptoms as indicators of a disease. CONCLUSIONS: Among the patients studied, there was an unacceptably long delay between the onset of symptoms and the initiation of tuberculosis treatment.

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the impact of smoking on pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) treatment outcomes and the two-month conversion rates for Mycobacterium tuberculosis sputum cultures among patients with culture-confirmed PTB in an area with a moderate incidence of tuberculosis in Brazil. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of PTB patients diagnosed and treated at the Thoracic Diseases Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro between 2004 and 2012. Results: Of the 298 patients diagnosed with PTB during the study period, 174 were included in the outcome analysis: 97 (55.7%) were never-smokers, 31 (17.8%) were former smokers, and 46 (26.5%) were current smokers. Smoking was associated with a delay in sputum culture conversion at the end of the second month of TB treatment (relative risk = 3.58 &091;95% CI: 1.3-9.86&093;; p = 0.01), as well as with poor treatment outcomes (relative risk = 6.29 &091;95% CI: 1.57-25.21&093;; p = 0.009). The association between smoking and a positive culture in the second month of treatment was statistically significant among the current smokers (p = 0.027). Conclusions: In our sample, the probability of a delay in sputum culture conversion was higher in current smokers than in never-smokers, as was the probability of a poor treatment outcome.