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Table 1 Patient symptoms and medical history, associated with physicians' clinical suspicion of tuberculosis among smear-negative PTB suspects

From: PCR colorimetric dot-blot assay and clinical pretest probability for diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Smear-Negative patients

Clinical Suspicion of Tuberculosis Group Smear-Negative PTB suspects

Symptoms and Medical History

N = 151 (%)

Low (N = 80)

Intermediate (N = 25)

High (N = 46)

Suggestive chest radiographya

42 (27.8%)

0

6

36

Weight loss

81 (53.6%)

37

12

32

Cough

135 (89.4%)

73

23

39

Chest pain

89 (58.9%)

48

15

26

Dyspnea

105 (69.5%)

57

17

31

Tuberculosis exposure at home

74 (49.0%)

37

14

23

Hospital admission in the last 24 months

53 (35.1%)

24

10

19

Hepatitis

31 (20.5%)

12

5

14

Immune suppression b

51 (33.8%)

17

13

21

  1. a: intake chest radiograph was suggestive of classical tuberculosis (upper-lobe fibrocavitary) disease.
  2. b: includes patients positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (27.2%) and those with a history of steroid use or cancer chemotherapy (3.6%)