PATIENTS AND METHODS
Our hospital, a 1,600-bed medical center, reports approximately
500 patients with newly-diagnosed TB infections
annually and combined rates of primary and
multi-resistance TB of 7.8% from 1996 to 2000.
A patient
was diagnosed with TB if he/she had clinical symptoms/
signs, radiographic findings consistent with
pulmonary TB, and improvement of symptoms/signs
and radiographic features after anti-TB treatment,
even if the results of microbiologic tests were negative.
The Institutional Review Board of our hospital approved
this study, and, because of the retrospective nature of
this study, patient confidentiality was maintained.