Radiological Findings in Health Care Workers with Latent Tuberculosis
Author Information
Author(s): Joshi Rajnish, Patil Samir, Kalantri Shriprakash, Schwartzman Kevin, Menzies Dick, Pai Madhukar
Primary Institution: Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence of abnormal radiological findings in health care workers with latent tuberculosis infection and how do these correlate with T cell immune responses?
Conclusion
Most health care workers with latent TB infection had abnormal chest radiographs, but these findings did not correlate with T cell immune responses.
Supporting Evidence
- 34.2% of radiographs were classified as normal.
- 62.4% had lesions suggestive of inactive TB.
- 3.4% had features suggestive of active TB.
- No demographic or occupational covariates were associated with inactive TB lesions.
Takeaway
Many health care workers in India who have been exposed to tuberculosis show signs of it on their chest X-rays, even if they don't feel sick.
Methodology
Chest radiographs were obtained from health care workers diagnosed with latent TB infection, and two observers independently interpreted these radiographs.
Potential Biases
The observers were aware that all subjects had latent TB, which could have influenced their interpretations.
Limitations
The study lacked a comparison group of non-health care workers, making it difficult to determine if the high prevalence of abnormalities was due to occupational exposure.
Participant Demographics
Mean age 31.5 years, 65% female.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.98
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website