Background: St Francis Hospital, a health facility in the rural
district of Mayuge, Uganda. Objectives: To evaluate the presentation,
course and outcome of patients with tuberculosis hospitalized to
receive the intensive phase of treatment. Method: Observational
analytical study of all patients admitted during June 2002-March 2005.
Results: There were 680 patients. Their median age was 31 years (range
2-75); 364 (54 %) were male. There were 564 (83 %) new patients, 60 (9
%) defaulters; 35 (5 %)relapses; 14 (2 %) transfers; four chronic
patients; and three treatment failures. Three hundred and thirteen
patients (58 %) had moderate or severe malnutrition on admission. Among
102 patients tested for the human immunodeficiency virus, 68 (67 %)
were positive. At the end of hospitalization 593 patients (87 %) were
to be followed-up at St Francis Hospital or were transferred to another
health facility, 31 (5 %)had absconded and 56 (8 %) had died.
Conclusion: The severely limited resources of our patients and the
human immunodeficiency virus co-infection are likely factors
contributing to their late presentation and the severity of the
disease. It is doubtful that in our setting tuberculosis can be
effectively controlled without addressing and correcting these factors