senile pulmonary tuberculosis

The decline and deterioration of immune function in the elderly are negatively correlated with increasing age. For example, the positive rate of tuberculin reaction is 80% at age 60, 70% at age 70, 50% at age 80, and 30% at age 90. The decline in immune function leads to increased disease from endogenous reactivation and exogenous reinfection, resulting in a gradually increasing trend of pulmonary tuberculosis in the elderly. Clinically, it is found that cough, sputum production, shortness of breath, hemoptysis, and poor appetite are more common in the elderly, while chest pain, bloody sputum, fever, and night sweats are more common in young people.