Demographic and clinical characteristics
| Cohort (n=154) | BALF culture positive and/or histology compatible with active TB (n=28) | BALF culture negative and no histological evidence of active TB (n=126) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age in years (IQR) | 46.1 (33.1–55.7) | 42.5 (30.1–54.3) | 47.5 (33.9–57.1) | 0.318 |
| Male gender (%) | 83 (54) | 11 (39) | 72 (57) | 0.093 |
| Sputum-scarce (%) | 111 (72) | 20 (71) | 91 (72) | 0.918 |
| HIV-infected* (%) | 46 (35) | 8 (40) | 38 (35) | 0.660 |
| Median CD4 count (cells/µl) (IQR) if HIV infected† | 165 (67–406) | 137 (55–645) | 179 (67–406) | 0.783 |
| Previous TB treatment‡ (%) | 52 (35) | 5 (18) | 47 (39) | 0.035 |
| Smoker§ (past or current) (%) | 42 (30) | 5 (21) | 37 (32) | 0.146 |
*Twenty-four patients were of unknown HIV status (test refused or data missing).
†Ten patients with HIV infection were missing CD4 count data.
‡Six patients were missing previous TB data.
§Fifteen patients were missing smoking data.
BALF, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; TB, tuberculosis.