Table 1 Characteristics of 101 patients hospitalized at Boston Medical Center with evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in discarded respiratory samplesa

From: Unexpected detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in US-born patients in putative association with clinical syndromes

Characteristic

Overall

M. tuberculosis detected

M. tuberculosis not detected

OR or mean/ median difference

Pb

N = 101

N = 16

N = 85

(95% CI)

Demographic and clinical

Age (years)

 Median [IQR]

59.0 [49.0, 67·0]

58.5 [43.3, 63.0]

59.0 [50.0, 68.0]

0.50 (−5.00, 15.00)

0.33

 Mean {SD}

57.7 {16.2}

51.6 {19.6}

58.9 {15.3}

7.24 (−3.62, 18.09)

0.18

 Range

15–92

15–78

24–92

  

Male

63 (62.4)

9 (56.3)

54 (63.5)

0.74 (0.22, 2.59)

0.78

Country of birth

 U.S.A.

72 (75)

14 (88)

58 (73)

2.63 (0.53–25.75)

0.34

 Otherc

24 (25)

2 (12)

22 (27)

  

History of homelessness

16 (13·9)

5 (31)

11 (12.9)

1.54 (0.24; 7.04)

0.13

Comorbiditiesd

 Asthma

15 (15)

5 (31)

10 (12)

3.36 (0.76, 13.54)

0.05

 Diabetes mellitus

27 (27)

4 (25)

23 (27)

0.90 (0.19, 3.38)

1

 COPD

22 (22)

4 (25)

18 (21)

1.24 (0.26, 4.76)

0.74

 Sickle cell disease

3 (3)

3 (19)

0 (0)

NA

0.003

 Chronic kidney disease

18 (18)

2 (12)

16 (19)

0.62 (0.06, 3.14)

1

 Obesity

13 (13)

1 (6)

12 (14)

0.41 (0.01, 3.18)

0.69

 Liver cirrhosis

7 (7)

1 (6)

6 (7)

0.88 (0.02, 8.11)

1

 HIV

7 (7)

0 (0)

7 (8)

NA

0.59

Years since the first hospital registration

 Median [IQR]

9.4 [2.3, 12.9]

12.7 [5.9, 14.1]

8.5 [1.6, 12.5]

4.2 (1.08, 6.35)

0.002

 Mean {SD}

8.1 {5.3}

10.7 {5.5}

7.5 {5.1}

  

TB history

M. tuberculosis infectione

 Known TB contact

4 (4.0)

1 (6.2)

3 (3.5)

2.70 (0.04–54.88)

0.5

 Evaluation for infection

27 (26.7)

8 (50.0)

19 (22.4)

3.42 (0.98–12.09)

0.03

 TST (9) or IGRA (2) negative

11 (10.9)

7 (43.7)

4 (4.7)

14.98 (3.13, 84.51)

<0.001

 TST (10) or IGRA (1) positive

11 (10.9)

1 (6.2)

10 (11.8)

0.50 (0.01–4.04)

1

 Previous LTBI treatment

3 (3.0)

1 (6.2)

2 (2.3)

2.72 (0.04–55.53)

0.41

TB Disease

 Microbiological evaluation (AFB request)

27 (26.7)

6 (37.5)

21 (24.7)

2.02 (0.52–7.25)

0.22

 Imaging for TB disease

5 (4.0)

1 (6.2)

4 (4.7)

1.35 (0.03–14.91)

0.59

 Previous antituberculous treatment

3 (3.0)

0 (0)

3 (3.5)

NA

1

Hospital Admission Details

Admission diagnosis

 Shortness of breath

17 (16.8)

3 (18.7)

14 (16.5)

1.17 (0.19, 5.10)

0.73

 Acute respiratory failure

5 (4.9)

2 (12.5)

3 (3.5)

3.83 (0.30, 36.70)

0.17

 Chest pain

3 (3.0)

2 (12.5)

1 (1.2)

11.52 (0.57, 712.13)

0.06

 Sickle cell disease pain crisis

2 (2.0)

2 (12.5)

0 (0)

NA

0.02

 Pneumonia

4 (4.0)

1 (6.2)

3 (3.5)

1.81 (0.03, 24.35)

0.5

 Stroke

3 (3.0)

1 (6.2)

2 (2.4)

2.73 (0.04, 55.53)

0.4

 Gastrointestinal hemorrhage

2 (2.0)

1 (6.2)

1 (1.2)

5.45 (0.07, 442.87)

0.29

 Fever

1 (1.0)

1 (6.2)

0 (0)

NA

0.16

 Malaise/ fatigue

1 (1.0)

1 (6.2)

0 (0)

NA

0.16

 Peripheral vascular disease

1 (1.0)

1 (6.2)

0 (0)

NA

0.16

 Cocaine overdose

1 (1)

1 (6.2)

0 (0)

NA

0.16

Primary discharge diagnosis

 Septicemia

17 (16.8)

3 (18.7)

14 (16.5)

1.17 (0.19, 5.10)

0.73

 Acute/ chronic respiratory failure

9 (8.9)

3 (18.7)

6 (7.1)

2.99 (0.43, 16.29)

0.15

 Acute chest syndrome

3 (3.0)

3 (18.7)

0 (0)

NA

0.003

 Pneumonia

12 (11.9)

1 (6.2)

11 (10.9)

0.45 (0.01, 3.57)

0.69

 Brain hemorrhage/ coma

6 (5.9)

1 (6.2)

5 (5.9)

1.07 (0.02, 10.57)

1

 Asthma exacerbation

4 (4.0)

1 (6.2)

3 (3.5)

1.81 (0.03, 24.35)

0.5

 Cocaine overdose

3 (3.0)

1 (6.2)

2 (2.3)

2.73 (0.04, 55.53)

0.41

 Cardiac/vascular device complication

3 (3.0)

1 (6.2)

2 (2.3)

2.73 (0.04, 55.53)

0.41

 Gastrointestinal hemorrhage

1 (1.0)

1 (6.2)

0 (0)

NA

0.16

 Peripheral vascular disease

1 (1.0)

1 (6.2)

0 (0)

NA

0.16

Hospitalization time (days)

9.9 [5.4, 27.3]

9.4 [6.3, 18.5]

9.9 [4.9, 28.2]

–

0.99

Laboratoryf

White blood cells

10.7 [7.8, 14.4]

12.9 [11.2, 17.4]

10.1 [7.7, 13.9]

–

0.06

Hemoglobin

11.8 [9.4, 13.5]

8.6 [6.6, 10.9]

12.3 [9.9, 13.6]

–

0.002

Platelets

213 [163.2, 280.2]

240 [191, 287.5]

211 [162.5, 277.5]

–

0.54

Alanine aminotransferase

22 [17, 32.5]

28.5 [15.8, 35.8]

22 [17.3, 31.8]

–

0.68

Aspartate aminotransferase

34 [22, 50.]

34 [23.8, 57.5]

34 [22,50]

–

0.72

Alkaline phosphatase

85 [67, 113.]

92 [78.3, 109.8]

84 [66,115]

–

0.65

Albumin

3.7 [3.1, 4]

3.6 [3.2, 3.7]

3.7 [2.9, 4]

–

0.43

Total bilirubin

0.65 [0.40, 0.98]

0.80 [0.40, 1.6]

0.6 [0.4, 0.9]

–

0.49

Direct bilirubin

0.20 [0.20, 0.50]

1.3 [0.8, 1.5]

0.2 [0.2, 0.5]

–

0.01

INR

1.1 [0.97, 1.4]

1.2 [0.90, 1.5]

1.1 [0.97, 1.3]

–

0.97

  1. Values are n (%), median [interquartile range, IQR], and mean {standard deviation, SD}, unless otherwise specified.
  2. NA not applicable (unable to calculate), OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval, AFB acid-fast bacilli, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, GI gastrointestinal, HIV human immunodeficiency virus, IGRA interferon-gamma release assay, INR international normalized ratio, LTBI latent tuberculosis treatment, TB tuberculosis, TST tuberculin skin test.
  3. aAll specimens had a bacterial culture request except for one that had a request for Pneumocystis jiroveci testing.
  4. bWilcoxon test (continuous data) or Fisher’s exact test (categorical data); all comparisons are two-sided.
  5. cOther places of birth included: Barbados (1), Cape Verde (1), Costa Rica (1) Dominican Republic (1), El Salvador (2), Ethiopia (2), Greece (1), Haiti (3), Lithuania (1), Nigeria (1), Peru (1), Philippines (1), Poland (1), Sierra Leonne (1), Trinidad (1), Unknown (11), missing or unavailable (5).
  6. dPatients may have one or more comorbidities.
  7. eTST missing or unavailable (n = 5).
  8. fMissing or unavailable data (n): WBC (4), HGB (4), Platelets (3), ALT (41), AST (42), Alkaline (42), Albumin (39), Total bilirubin (43), Direct bilirubin (54). The laboratory result included was closest to the TOP specimen date.
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