Reactivation of tuberculosis: some factors involved

Tuberculosis and pregnancy. Five- to ten-year review of 215 patients in their fertile age

This study evaluated the influence of pregnancy as a relapse factor in pulmonary tuberculosis in 215 patients who recieved adequate chemotherapy. A comparison was made between the evolution of patients who had pregnancies and those who did not. On ending the period of observation (details are lacking with respect to only of observation (details are lacking with respect to only seven patients), 203 patients continued to be well without active pulmonary lesions, and no relapses had been seen. Of these patients, 100 had 149 pregnancies, giving birth to 135 children; 108 had no pregnancies. Fifteen pregnancies took place while patients were in the active phase of their tuberculosis, and 134 occurred once chemotherapy had ended; seven patients gave birth to nine children while their postchemotherapy cavity remained inactive. From the extended period of observation, it can be concluded that pregnancy, birth, puerperium, and lactation do not presuppose any risk of relapse of pulmonary tuberculosis when it is adequately treated even in patients in whom an inactive postchemotherapy cavity persisted.