Search

Objectives: The incidence of tuberculosis has risen since 1992. We studied cases observed in our department to search for factors favouring this increased incidence., Methods: A retrospective assessment of 151 cases of tuberculosis observed over a 3 year period in a department of pneumology in Paris was performed., Results: Fifty-two percent of the patients were foreigners; 66% lived in a poor socio-economic environment included 18% with no permanent residence; 29% were alcoholics. An association with human immunodeficiency virus infection was seen in 7% of the cases. Another immunodepression factor was found in 15%. Tuberculosis was discovered in a context of respiratory distress in 7% or the patients. Outcome was fatal in 6%. Three months after diagnosis 22% of the patients were lost to follow-up., Conclusion: This series emphasizes the major role of socio-economic factors in the rising incidence of tuberculosis and the need for urgent and adapted measures for therapeutic management in an often non-compliant and socially instable population.

The retrospective study of 102 epidermoid carcinomas of bronchial radically treated by surgery enables a survey of various prognostic factors, assessing the post-operative evolution over 2 years for 98 patients and over 5 years for 68 others. Some signs are ominous: chest pains or a worsening general condition in the preoperative symptomatology. On the other hand, the effect of the delay between the first symptoms and the intervention has not been demonstrated. Two factors, so far not much valued, have also been studied: the condition of the bronchial section of little prognostic value and, on the other hand, the TNM systematic classification which seems valuable for all operated bronchial cancers.