Effect of pulmonary hypertension on outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis

Background:This study performed at the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Tehran, Iran, aimed to evaluate the effect of concomitant pulmonary hypertension on the outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods:New cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were recruited for the study. Pulmonary hypertension was defined as systolic pulmonary arterial pressure ≥35 mm Hg estimated by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. We assessed the relationship between pulmonary hypertension and mortality during the six-month treatment of tuberculosis.Results:Of 777 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, 74 (9.5%) had systolic pulmonary arterial pressure ≥35 mm Hg. Ten of them (13.5%) died during treatment compared to 5% of cases with pulmonary arterial pressure less than 35 mm Hg (p = 0.007). Logistic regression analysis showed that pulmonary hypertension and drug abuse remained independently associated with mortality (OR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.44–6.75 and OR = 4.4; 95% CI: 2.35–8.17, respectively).Conclusion:A significant association was found between mortality and presence of pulmonary hypertension and drug abuse among new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis.