PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the factors affecting smoking behavior in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: The participants were 130 pulmonary tuberculosis patients at a national tuberculosis hospital. Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from January to March in 2016 and were analyzed using binominal logistic regression. RESULTS: As a result of a correlation analysis of the data, depression had a significant positive correlation with smoking (r=.19, p=.030), stress (r=.54, p < .001), respectively. And depression had a significant negative correlation with smoking-related self-efficacy (r=−.20, p=.023). Smokingrelated self-efficacy, smoking (r=−.79, p < .001), and stress (r=−.23, p=.008) had a significant negative correlation with each other, respectively. The factors affecting the smoking behavior were smoking-related self-efficacy (OR=1.46, p < .001), sex (OR=67.36, p=.001), occupation (OR=17.51, p=.014), and depression (OR=1.16, p=.024). Those factors explained 84.7% (Negelkerke's R2=.847) of pulmonary tuberculosis patients' smoking behavior. CONCLUSION: Developing and applying a prevention eduction for reducing depression and enhancing smoking-related self-efficacy may become a venue toward good prognosis of the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.
Depression ; Hospitals, Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Occupations ; Prognosis ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stress, Psychological ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND: The sensitivities and specificities of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) vary among different population studies, and the data on the routine use of IGRAs are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study, enrolling 77 patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), at a secondary care teaching hospital in Seoul. RESULTS: In total, 12 (15.6%) patients showed indeterminate results due to positive control failure on the QFT-GIT test. Indeterminate results were significantly associated with the elderly, history of the intensive care unit stay, lymphocytopenia, especially low CD4 count, increased C-reactive protein and decreased protein levels. Of the 77 patients, 44 (57.1%) were diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis, and the percentage of false negative results of the QFT-GIT was 36.4% (vs. 31.8% with TST). In the TB group with >65 years old (n=12), the proportions of the indeterminate (33.3% vs. 3.1%) and the false negative results (58.3% vs. 25.0%) of the QFT-GIT were significantly higher than in the younger TB group (n=32). CONCLUSION: Indeterminate and false negative results of QFT-GIT test were not infrequent in tuberculosis, especially in the elderly. Care should be considered for the interpretation with the elderly, immunocompromised, chronic and severely diseased patients.
Aged ; C-Reactive Protein ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Lymphopenia ; Prospective Studies ; Secondary Care ; Tuberculin Test ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Background: Avoiding causative allergens is important for controlling the clinical course of allergic diseases. Allergen sensitization is influenced by many factors including the environment and lifestyle. The socioeconomic development, climate, and lifestyle changes have increased the prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide. However, there is little information about changes in the trend of the common allergens over time. Objective: This study was aimed at identifying the trends of the common allergens in Korea over a 10-year period based on the results of the multiple allergosorbent test chemiluminescent assay (MAST-CLA). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 5,760 patients aged ≥18 years who visited the Dermatology Department at a tertiary hospital over a period of 10 years. The serum total immunoglobulin (Ig) E and specific IgE levels to 41 allergens were determined using MAST-CLA, along with the clinical diagnosis, duration of illness, white blood cell count and eosinophil percentage. Results: Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and house dust were the most prevalent allergens during the 10 years period, but the percentage of higher class responses has decreased in recent years. The number of patients sensitized to house dust (p<0.001), dogs (p=0.005), and cats (p<0.001) increased while that of patients sensitized to cockroaches (p<0.001) and storage mites (p<0.001) decreased over time. There were no significant changes in the total number of sensitizing allergens over time. Conclusion The common allergens have changed over time. Based on the findings of this study, physicians and patients should consider changing their strategies for disease prevention and management.