Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38901573›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of infection2024

Elderly patients with tuberculosis in a low-incidence country - Clinical characteristics, inflammation and outcome.

Cynthia van Arkel, Iris Storms, Lisa Kurver, Frank Smeenk, Pascal Wielders, Wouter Hoefsloot, Neeltje Carpaij, Martin J Boeree, Reinout van Crevel, Arjan van Laarhoven and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of infection, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Managing tuberculosis infection among migrants from high-incidence tuberculosis countries: challenges, strategies and recommendations.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Cynthia van ArkelDepartment of Pulmonary Disease and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: Cynthia.vanarkel@radboudumc.nl.
Iris StormsDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, Rijnstate Hospital, 6815 AD Arnhem, The Netherlands.
Lisa KurverDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Frank SmeenkDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, Catharina Hospital, 5623 EJ Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Pascal WieldersDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, Catharina Hospital, 5623 EJ Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Wouter HoefslootDepartment of Pulmonary Disease and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Neeltje CarpaijDepartment of Pulmonary Disease and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Martin J BoereeDepartment of Pulmonary Disease and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Reinout van CrevelDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Arjan van LaarhovenDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Cécile Magis-EscurraDepartment of Pulmonary Disease and Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSusceptibility to respiratory infections increases with age. Diagnosing and treating tuberculosis in the elderly comes with the challenges of fewer specific symptoms and possibly more side effects of treatment. Much is unknown when it comes to tuberculosis in the elderly, especially in relation to inflammation, which may impact mortality. We, therefore, investigated a clinical cohort of elderly tuberculosis patients.

methodsPatients aged ≥65 years, admitted to our tuberculosis reference center between 2005 and 2021, were retrospectively included in our cohort. Sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, laboratory results, including inflammatory markers at baseline (monocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte count, and CRP levels), and treatment outcomes were collected. They were compared to the National Dutch TB Registry and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Survival analysis was performed using univariate Cox regression analysis and a log-rank test. Results were visualized in Kaplan-Meier curves.

results104 elderly tuberculosis patients, mostly European, with a mean age of 75 years, were included. None were HIV-infected. Miliary tuberculosis cases were overrepresented (14 %) compared to the National Dutch TB Registry (5 % in elderly, 2 % adults). Fever occurred in 77 % (57/74), and the duration of fever decreased with age. Innate immune markers, including monocyte/lymphocyte-ratio, moderately correlated with CRP. Overall mortality was 15 %, and highest (33 %) in patients with CRP levels >100 mg/mL.

conclusionIn elderly tuberculosis patients in a low-incidence setting, mortality rates are higher in comparison to younger patients. The overrepresentation of miliary tuberculosis may suggest waning immunity, with a subset of patients exhibiting strong inflammation associated with increased mortality.

Indexed as

InflammationTuberculosisAgedAged, 80 and overAntitubercular AgentsC-Reactive ProteinFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleNetherlandsRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAntitubercular AgentsC-Reactive ProteinElderlyImmunityInflammatory markersSurvivalTuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID38901573
PMCPMC7618627

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.