OBJETIVO: Examine the prevalence and clinical/epidemiological aspects of patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolated from sputum provided by an outpatient clinic specializing in the treatment of multiresistant tuberculosis (MRTB) in Bahia, Brazil. METHODS: All patients followed at the MRTB outpatient clinic of the Octávio Mangabeira Specialized Hospital (HEOM) were evaluated retrospectively from July 1998 to July 2003. All patients underwent direct examinations and cultures to identify the mycobacteria species found during initial and subsequent evaluations. The following variables were recorded: age, gender, clinical symptoms and signs, pre-existing lung disease, prior TB treatment, HIV serology, and NTM species. Categorical and quantitative variables were respectively characterized using proportions and measures ± SD. RESULTS: NTM were isolated in 19 of 231 patients (8.2%; 95%CI: 5.2%-12.3%), with the following species distribution: 58% (11/19) M. chelonae/abscessus; 16% (3/19) M. avium-intracellular complex; 16% (3/19) M. kansasii; and 11% (2/19) M. fortuitum. HIV serology was positive for just one patient (5%), from whom M. chelonae/abscessus was isolated. Productive coughing was observed in all cases. American Thoracic Society (ATS) diagnostic criteria for NTM lung disease were observed in 14 patients (74%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of NTM isolated from patients referred to the MRTB outpatient clinic in Bahia was 8.2% (CI 95%: 5.2%-12.3%); rapid-growth mycobacteria (M. chelonae/M. fortuitum) were the most frequently isolated (68%).

INTRODUÇÃO: A fibrose cística é diagnosticada usualmente na infância. No Brasil, poucos estudos abordam seu diagnóstico na idade adulta. OBJETIVO: Descrever as características demográficas, clínicas e os achados de espirometria dos pacientes com fibrose cística diagnosticados na idade adulta, na Bahia (Brasil). MÉTODO: Foram avaliados 28 pacientes com fibrose cística diagnosticada na idade adulta no Centro de Referência de Fibrose Cística do Estado da Bahia. As variáveis de interesse foram: idade, gênero, cor, índice de massa corpórea (IMC), cultivo do escarro, porcentagem do previsto da capacidade vital forçada (% CVF), porcentagem do previsto do volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo (% VEF1) e resposta ao broncodilatador. RESULTADOS: A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 31,1±12,4 anos. A proporção de negros e mulatos foi de 53,7%, e a média de IMC foi 18,7±3,0Kg/m2. Em doze pacientes (43%) foi confirmada P. aeruginosa no escarro. As médias ±DP dos percentuais do previsto da CVF e do VEF1 foram de 58,9±21,6% e 44,1±23% respectivamente. No grupo colonizado por P. aeruginosa as médias dos parâmetros espirométricos foram inferiores às do grupo não colonizado. Entretanto, somente em relação à CVF esta diferença alcançou significância estatística (p= 0,007). CONCLUSÃO: Concordante com a literatura, este estudo reforça que o diagnóstico de fibrose cística deve ser investigado em pacientes com infecções respiratórias de repetição, sinusite e bronquiectasias, mesmo na idade adulta. Os valores dos percentuais da CVF e VEF1 em relação ao previsto foram menores nos pacientes colonizados por P aeruginosa, evidenciando uma maior deterioração da função pulmonar.

INTRODUCTION: Cystic Fibrosis is usually diagnosed in childhood. In Brazil, few studies have approached CF diagnosed in adulthood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe demographic and clinical characteristics and spirometric data of patients with CF diagnosed in adulthood (over 16 years of age) in Bahia, Brazil. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with cystic fibrosis diagnosed in adulthood were evaluated at the Reference Center of Cystic Fibrosis of the state of Bahia. Variables of interest were age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI), sputum culture, presence of sinusitis and bronchiectasis, spirometric tests with the best values performed for forced expiratory volume in the first second (% FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and response to bronchodilators. RESULTS: Mean age of diagnosis was 31.1 ± 12.4 years. Of the patients, 53.4% were black and mulattos and the mean BMI was 18.7 ± 3.0 kg/m2. P. aeruginosa was present in 12 (43%) of the total patients. The mean percentages ± SD of FVC and FEV1 were 58.9 ± 21.6% and 44.1 ± 23%, respectively. In the group of patients with presence of P. aeruginosa in the sputum cultures mean of the spirometry parameters were lower than those of the P. aeruginosa-free group. However, this difference achieved a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0007) only in FVC. CONCLUSIONS: In agreement with many authors, this study strengthen the point of view that CF must be investigated in patients with recurrent infections, sinusitis and bronchiectasis even in adulthood. Values of the percentages of FVC and FEV1 in relation to those foreseen were lower in patients bearers of P.aeruginosa thereby showing a higher deterioration of the pulmonary function.

INTRODUCTION: Recurrent respiratory infections account for most of the morbidity and mortality of cystic fibrosis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The objective was to determine the prevalence of pathogens isolated from lower respiratory tract secretions in cystic fibrosis patients. In this descriptive observational study, data from 69 patients was collected from medical records. RESULTS: The microorganisms that were identified included 36.2% P. aeruginosa, 28.9% S. Aureus, 4.3% K. pneumoniae, 1.5% H. influenzae, 1.5% E. coli, 1.5% S. maltoophilia, and in 27.5% the flora was normal. The prevalence of P. aeruginosa was 83% in patients under two years of age, demonstrating early colonization. CONCLUSION: P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were the most prevalent pathogens; there was also early infection/colonization by P. aeruginosa. This information will contribute to improved therapeutic measures for patients of the Bahia Cystic Fibrosis Reference Center.

We reviewed the clinical and radiological characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) in children and adolescents at the Hospital Especializado Octávio Mangabeira, (HEOM) in Salvador, Bahia. This study included 275 TB patients aged 1 to 15 years seen between January 1990 and November 2001. Standardized forms were filled out on the basis of a review of patient records and x-rays. Through a retrospective and descriptive analysis, it was found that 51.6% were male, 35.3% were aged 1 to 5 years, 28% were aged 6 to 10 and 36.7% were aged 11 to 15. Among all patients, 79.6% lived in the city of Salvador. A history of contact with TB was found in 63.9%, most frequently among children under 5 years old; 77.2% were vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The most frequently observed symptoms were coughing (76%), fever (73.1%) weight loss (53.1%), and 4.7% were asymptomatic. Pulmonary TB was most frequent (57.8%) and extra-pulmonary TB occurred in 24.4%, with a predominance of hilar adenopathy. Both forms occurred simultaneously in 17.8%. In 53.1% of the cases the diagnosis was not determined by bacteriology or pathological anatomy; in these cases diagnosis was reached through clinical and radiological criteria, contact history, a tuberculin test >10mm and a positive response to tuberculostatic drugs.