Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 55, Issue 2 , Pages 115-120, February 2002

Difference in symptoms suggesting pulmonary tuberculosis among men and women

  • Nguyen Hoang Long

      Affiliations

    • National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, 463 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Hanoi, Viet Nam
    • Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
    • Division of International Health (IHCAR), Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +84.4 8231440; fax: 84.4 8463056. E-mail address:(N.H. Long)
    • ,
  • Vinod K Diwan

      Affiliations

    • Division of International Health (IHCAR), Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
    • The Nordic School of Public Health, Goteborg, Sweden
    • ,
  • Anna Winkvist

      Affiliations

    • The Nordic School of Public Health, Goteborg, Sweden

Received 5 November 2000; received in revised form 27 July 2001; accepted 16 August 2001.

Abstract 

Longer delays in diagnosis and lower case-detection of tuberculosis (TB) among women remain a problem in many countries. This study describes reported symptoms of new smear-positive pulmonary TB among men and women, and their association with TB diagnostic delays. All 1,027 new smear-positive pulmonary TB cases aged 15 years or over (757 men and 270 women) diagnosed by 23 district TB units of four provinces in Vietnam during 1996 were interviewed at the time of diagnosis. Among these, 540 patients diagnosed during January–June 1996 were followed up during treatment course. Pattern of symptoms was similar between the sexes. However, symptoms of cough (90.7% women, 94.7% men, P = .021), sputum expectoration (83.6% women, 89.9% men, P = .006), and hemoptysis (27.8% women, 34.9% men, P = .033) were less common among women than among men. Absence of cough and sputum expectoration was significantly associated with increased doctor's delays. Two months after treatment, cough and sputum expectoration recovered significantly more quickly among women compared to men.

Keywords:  Tuberculosis, Clinical symptoms, Delays, Sex, Vietnam

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PII: S0895-4356(01)00455-3

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 55, Issue 2 , Pages 115-120, February 2002

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