Tuberculosis associated with gastrectomy

Abstract

We describe the incidence and clinical features of patients with tuberculosis who had undergone gastric resection in our hospital. A total of 26 patients with tuberculosis who had undergone gastric resection were studied. The prevalence of gastrectomy among patients with tuberculosis was 8.0% (7/87) in 2000, 5.1% (4/78) in 2001, and 13.2% (10/76) in 2002. The average 3-year incidence was 9.1%. The patients’ body mass indexes (BMIs) were below 18 kg/m² in 9 of the 21 patients in whom it was possible to determine BMI and above 22 kg/m² in only 2 of these 21 patients. Analysis of impaired glucose tolerance revealed oxyhyperglycemia or diabetes mellitus as one risk factor for the development of tuberculosis. Furthermore, poor nuturition among patients who have undergone gastrectomy may provide prognostic information for the development or reactivation of tuberculosis. In Japan, a fairly large percentage of elderly people have undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer or gastric ulcer, and many have a past history of tuberculosis. Gastrectomy may be a risk factor for the reactivation of tuberculosis.