RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Little attention has been given to the development of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) during their anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) treatment and how that might affect patients' health status. Here, the prevalence and etiologies of other LRTIs in a cohort of PTB patients were determined, and the clinical features and outcomes were described. METHODS: Adult patients with PTB between 2015 and 2020 were recruited and monitored during their anti-TB treatment for the presence of LRTIs. Clinical data were retrospectively collected from patients' medical records. RESULTS: Data from 76 PTB patients (57 [75%] males) were reviewed. The median age was 61.0 (interquartile range 83.5-35.5) years, and other LRTIs were detected in 45 (59.2%) PTB patients. Of the 126 episodes of LRTIs, 84 (66.7%) were due to bacterial infections, 37 (29.4%) were due to fungal infections, and 5 (3.9%) were due to viral infections. The development of LRTIs was significantly more common in older (P = 0.012) and hypertensive patients with PTB (P = 0.019). Patients with PTB and LRTIs experienced significantly more frequent extrapulmonary infections (P = 0.0004), bloodstream infections (P = 0.001), intensive care unit stays (P = 0.001), and invasive mechanical ventilation use (P = 0.03) than patients who did not develop LRTI. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of host-related risk factors for LRTI development among patients with PTB could be used to develop a prediction model for LRTI development. Hence, initiating antimicrobials early, in parallel with appropriate anti-TB treatment, may mitigate PTB-related health and economic consequences.
RESUMO
Objectives: To study the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients experiencing an ischemic stroke during Ramadan vs. non-Ramadan months in a tertiary academic center in an Islamic country. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with ischemic stroke (IS) in Ramadan and non-Ramadan months for four consecutive years (February 2016-June 2019). All demographics, vascular risk factors, laboratory results, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at admission and discharge, National Institute Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and in-hospital complication data were collected for all patients. Results: One thousand and 58 patients were included (non-Ramadan, n = 960; during Ramadan, n = 98). The mean age during Ramadan was 59 ± 13 years. Most non-Ramadan IS patients during Ramadan were male (68.5%; 57.1%, respectively). There was no statistical difference in vascular risk factors and medical history between the two groups. However, Ramadan patients had higher median NIHSS scores at discharge (p = 0.0045). In addition, more ICU admissions were noted among Ramadan patients (p = 0.009). In the gender-specific analysis for Ramadan patients, we found a statistically significant difference in smoking and urinary tract infection (p = 0.006, p = 0.005, respectively). Conclusion: Based on our results, there was no difference, in general, between patients with IS during Ramadan and non-Ramadan months. However, IS patients had higher NIHSS scores at discharge and more ICU admissions during Ramadan. Last, we suggest future studies with larger sample sizes, longer duration, and including all types of strokes.
