Tuberculosis of the urinary tract in southern Thailand.

BACKGROUND The urinary system is one of the common sites of involvement of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The accurate diagnosis and treatment of extrapulmonary TB is complex and difficult. OBJECTIVE To address the epidemiology and drug susceptibility of urinary tract TB in southern Thailand. MATERIAL AND METHOD A retrospective analysis of data collected at the time of diagnosis of urinary tract TB cases, during a 10-year period from 1998 to 2007. Data collection included demography, presenting symptoms, laboratory investigations, and imaging studies of the urinary system. RESULTS During a 10-year period of the present study, 35 new cases of urinary tract TB were diagnosed, with a male/female ratio of 1.3:1 and a common age group of 31-40 years. 34.3% of the patients were farmers. The most presenting symptoms were polyuria, dysuria and acidic urinary pH with pyuria. 80% ofthe patients had abnormal imaging studies ofthe urinary system, with hydronephrosis being the most frequently found condition. Fifty seven point one percent had positive urine cultures for Mycobacterium and 0.05% of them had streptomycin resistance, while none ofthem had an HIV coinfection. CONCLUSION The urinary tract TB was more common in male with a common age group of 31-40 years. The common presenting symptoms were long-standing urinary symptoms as frequency in urination, dysuria, hematuria and acidic urinary pH associated with pyuria. In the present study, there was only 0.05% of streptomycin resistance, however, no patients with HIV infection.