New research from the Scotland-based University of Dundee has revealed that the worldwide tuberculosis (TB) epidemic is leaving a legacy of chronic lung disease.
Scientists from the University, in partnership with the Respiratory Research Network of India, have reported results from a study of more than 2000 Indian patients with evidence of permanent lung damage.
Researchers have found that more than 1/3 of patients who are successfully cured of TB with antibiotics developed permanent lung damage which, in the worst cases, results in large holes in the lungs called cavities and widening of the airways called bronchiectasis.
TB survivors and patients with a history of severe infections such as childhood pneumonia made up the majority of patients with lung damage in India. Patients required further hospitalisations for treatment of their lung conditions in nearly 40% of cases.