УДК 616.002.5-021.3-053.8-035.7
Objective — to study the frequency and causes of diagnostic errors in primary pulmonary tuberculosis (PrPTB) in adults.
Materials and methods. The frequency and causes of diagnostic errors in verifying PrPTB in adults were studied by analyzing thpathomorphosis aspect of a specific process. Sectional material from 200 adult deaths due to primary forms of tuberculosis (PrFTB) over a period of 45 years (1974—2020) was analyzed. The study period was divided into three periods: the first period spanned from 1974 to 1988, during which three
antimycobacterial drugs (isoniazid, streptomycin, and PASC) were used; the second period ranged from 1989 to 2005, during which rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide were added to the treatment regimen; and the third period covered from 2005 to 2020, during which aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, linezolid, and other antimycobacterial drugs were widely utilized.
Results and discussion. Studies conducted on clinical and pathological material from 200 deaths related to primary forms of tuberculosis (PrFTB) over the last 45 years (1974—2020) based on data from prosectures in Lviv indicate a significant decrease in the number of deaths from primary pulmonary tuberculosis (PrPTB) among the adult population. This decline is attributed to the widespread adoption of modern antimycobacterial therapy for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). The predominant clinico-pathological form of PrPTB is tuberculosis of the intrathoracic lymph nodes (TBILN), which manifests with various progression variants. Complications of a specific nature (such as miliary TB, TB meningitis, and TB sepsis) prevail among the direct causes of death. However, diagnosing PrPTB in adults poses significant challenges in modern conditions, with an increasing frequency of underdiagnosis over the years. Diagnostic errors most commonly occur in general diagnostic hospitals during the verification of TBILN and its complications in patients over 30 years old.
Conclusions. The frequency of underdiagnosing PrPTB has increased due to its atypical course, likely resulting from the pathomorphosis of a specific process. The discrepancy between clinical and pathoanatomical diagnoses, attributable to the unique clinical course of PrPTB, was observed in 7.3 % of cases in the first period, 27.2 % in the second, and 40.0 % in the third. Several factors contribute to the underdiagnosis of PrPTB, including short-term hospital stays, the atypical course of PrPTB due to the pathomorphosis of a specific process, inadequate patient examination, the lack of urgency for phthisiological evaluation in general medical institutions and incorrect interpretation of clinical, radiological and laboratory data.
Keywords Primary tuberculosis in adults, diagnosis, errors