DefinePK

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease caused by airborne transmission of aerosolized droplets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB is one of the top ten causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, causing an estimated 1.2 million deaths annually. Even with successful treatment patients with TB mostly suffer from long-term pulmonary complications.
Objective: To determine the Frequency of Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) in post TB patients.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Pulmonology Ward, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad over six months from February 4th, 2022 to August 3rd, 2022. A total of 108 patients were included in the study using consecutive sampling technique. The PH patients included those patients who had mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAPm) ≥ 25 mmHg at rest estimated by echocardiography. Both male and female patients with age between 16 to 80 years having past history of TB were included.
Results: Mean age of Post TB patients was 52.1(±7.2) years. Among Post TB patients 46.3% were males and 53.7% were female patients. The frequency of PH in post TB patients was 44.4% (p<0.03). The Post TB PH difference in different age groups was significant (p=0.03) but difference in both genders was not significant in patients (p=0.221).
Conclusion. In conclusion, Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is highly prevalent in post-TB patients, with age being a significant factor. This underscores the importance of monitoring PH in patients recovering from TB, especially in older age groups.