Abstract

NAVARRO-REYNOSO, Francisco; HERNANDEZ-SOLIS, Alejandro; PEREZ-ROMO, Alfredo  and  CICERO-SABIDO, Raúl. Cost-effectiveness of diagnostic methods for tuberculosis. Rev. Inst. Nal. Enf. Resp. Mex. [online]. 2006, vol.19, n.3, pp.214-221. ISSN 0187-7585.

Tuberculosis can be a silent disease that can progress into chronic and irreversible forms leading to incapacitaron and death; not rarely the diagnosis in made at the autopsy table. Lung tuberculosis is diagnosed by readily avaible methods; extrapulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis may require biopsy material. The usual laboratory diagnosis includes Ziehl-Neelsen smears for acid fast bacilli fluorescence techniques and Lowestein-Jensen cultures; for body fluids, new procedures include polymerase chain reaction and adenosine deaminase. The Mycobacterium growth identification tube culture allows a quicker identification of mycobacteria and earlier medical treatment, preventing the progression of TB and potential appearance of complications that represent a heavy monetary burden for the responsible institutions. This study presents the advantages and cost-effectiveness of several diagnostic procedures for TB, pondering the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of each one.

Keywords : Diagnostic methods; cost-effectiveness; tuberculosis.

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