Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistant Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
2
Student Research Committee, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
3
Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Abstract
Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic has understandably dominated global attention, Tuberculosis (TB) remains a persistent and formidable global health threat. Acknowledging the impact of COVID-19 on immune function and the decreased referrals of TB patients to medical clinics during the pandemic, we sought to assess the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of TB patients in two distinct periods: pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.
Materials and Methods: We retrospectively identified 105 TB patients from the year preceding the pandemic and, during the pandemic, selected 72 TB patients with a positive history of COVID-19. A comprehensive analysis of various features, including age, gender, fever, cough, hemoptysis, and different imaging and laboratory parameters, was conducted and compared between the two groups.
Results: Post-pandemic TB patients exhibited a higher prevalence of hemoptysis, chest pain, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels, with P-values of 0.014, 0.006, and <0.001, respectively. Furthermore, our findings indicated an increased incidence of bilateral imaging features in COVID-19 TB patients (P= 0.02).
Conclusion: Given the potential effects of COVID-19 on immune function and the diagnostic challenges posed by overlapping clinical manifestations, clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with COVID-19, particularly those presenting with atypical or complex symptoms.
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