Effect of COVID-19 on pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) have common clinical features and presentations, like fever, shortness of breath, cough, also radiological and laboratory similarities and differences. The study aimed to study the effect of COVID-19 infection on diagnosis of pulmonary TB and if clinical, lab, or radiology presentation of pulmonary TB is affected or not. Patients and methods This retrospective prospective study included 77 patients with pulmonary TB at the chest department, Menoufia University Hospital, and Shibin Elkom Chest Hospital. Patients with pulmonary TB only were 58 patients group )1) and patients who with TB-COVID co-infection were 19 patients group) 2). Results TB cases were more detected in 2023 with 28 cases, followed by 2020 and 2022 with 17 cases, and then in 2021 with 15 cases. There were significant differences between the two groups regarding physical examination as respiratory rate and temperature were higher with group (2) and regarding clinical examinations as fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, headache and fatigue were more common among group (2) and regarding lab investigation as total leukocyte count, lymphocyte, SO 2 , were significantly lower among group (2) than group (1). While, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and D-dimer were significantly increased among group (2) than group (1), and regarding radiological examination as multiple cavities, consolidation in multiple lobes, Ground-glass opacity were higher with group (2) than group (1). Relapse of old TB was higher among group (2) than group (1). Conclusions COVID-19 significantly affected the discovered pulmonary TB cases as in the period between 2020 and 2022 the detection of new cases significantly dropped. There were common clinical, laboratory, and radiological presentations between pulmonary TB and COVID-19.