EXTRA-PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

Although tuberculosis is most common in the lungs, it also affects other organs, and is known as extrapulmonary tuberculosis. A descriptive, exploratory study with a quantitative approach was carried out with the aim of analyzing all the cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis treated at a hospital in the city of São Luís-MA. The results show that 53.7% of the patients studied were male. The most frequent clinical forms were pleural (59.26%) and ganglionic (25.93%). The main auxiliary tests for diagnosing tuberculosis seen in the medical records were: sputum smear microscopy (48.15%), sputum culture (16.67%), PPD (40.74%), X-ray (68.52%). With regard to the most commonly used treatment regimen, regimen I predominated (94.44%). It can be concluded that extrapulmonary tuberculosis can be a serious form of infection which can lead to death if not treated and diagnosed in time. It is therefore necessary for health professionals to be prepared to provide the basic conditions for successful treatment, through informative and educational activities.