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Review
. 2021 Dec 15;10(24):5888.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10245888.

Tuberculosis in the Elderly

Pauline Caraux-Paz  1 , Sylvain Diamantis  2   3 , Benoit de Wazières  4 , Sébastien Gallien  3   5
Affiliations
Review

Tuberculosis in the Elderly

Pauline Caraux-Paz et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

The tuberculosis (TB) epidemic is most prevalent in the elderly, and there is a progressive increase in the notification rate with age. Most cases of TB in the elderly are linked to the reactivation of lesions that have remained dormant. The awakening of these lesions is attributable to changes in the immune system related to senescence. The mortality rate from tuberculosis remains higher in elderly patients. Symptoms of active TB are nonspecific and less pronounced in the elderly. Diagnostic difficulties in the elderly are common in many diseases but it is important to use all possible techniques to make a microbiological diagnosis. Recognising frailty to prevent loss of independence is a major challenge in dealing with the therapeutic aspects of elderly patients. Several studies report contrasting data about poorer tolerance of TB drugs in this population. Adherence to antituberculosis treatment is a fundamental issue for the outcome of treatment. Decreased completeness of treatment was shown in older people as well as a higher risk of treatment failure.

Keywords: aging; elderly; tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Death rate from tuberculosis by age in the World, 1990 to 2017 [8].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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