Research Article
Patient and Doctor Delays in Smear-Negative and Smear-Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients Attending a Referral Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey
Table 1
Demographic characteristics of the study population.
| | Group 1 | Group 2 | | | % | | % |
| Sex~ | | | | | Male | 38 | 58.5 | 42 | 59.2 | Female | 27 | 41.5 | 29 | 40.8 | Mean age (range) | 36.9 (16–68) years | 35.8 (16–67) years |
Education level† | | | | | Primary school | 29 | 44.6 | 42 | 59.2 | High school | 26 | 40.0 | 23 | 32.4 | University | 10 | 15.4 | 6 | 8.4 | Smoking habit* | | | | | Nonsmoker | 27 | 41.5 | 23 | 32.4 | Ex-smoker | 13 | 20.0 | 15 | 21.1 | Smoker | 25 | 38.5 | 33 | 46.5 | History of index case for tuberculosis** | | | | | Yes | 30 | 46.2 | 31 | 43.7 | No | 35 | 53.8 | 40 | 56.3 | Comorbidity° | | | | | Yes | 15 | 23.1 | 22 | 31.0 | No | 50 | 76.9 | 49 | 69.0 | Presenting symptom‡ | | | | | Cough | 38 | 58.5 | 59 | 83.1 | Sputum production | 26 | 40.0 | 41 | 57.7 | Fever | 17 | 26.2 | 22 | 31.0 | Hemoptysis | 7 | 10.8 | 22 | 31.0 | Chest pain | 17 | 26.2 | 15 | 21.1 | Dyspnea | 8 | 12.3 | 4 | 5.6 | Weight loss | 14 | 21.5 | 29 | 40.8 | Sweating | 16 | 24.2 | 21 | 29.6 | Other | 29 | 44.6 | 32 | 45.1 |
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; †; *; **; °; and ‡.
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