CLINICAL AND PARACLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BACTERIAL CO-INFECTION PNEUMONIA IN PATIENTS WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS BY TREATMENT STAGES AT CAN THO LUNG HOSPITAL
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Bacterial pneumonia co-infection in patients undergoing pulmonary tuberculosis treatment is a major clinical challenge in diagnosis and treatment. Objectives: To describe and compare selected clinical, paraclinical, and bacteriological characteristics of bacterial co-infection pneumonia in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis according to treatment phase. Materials and methods: An analytical cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 125 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis under treatment who had bacterial co-infection pneumonia at Can Tho Lung Hospital from July 2024 to May 2026. Results: Among patients with bacterial co-infection pneumonia during pulmonary tuberculosis treatment, those in the intensive phase accounted for the majority, at 63.2%. Male patients accounted for 66.4%, and the mean age was 59.8 ± 17.5 years. Common symptoms included dyspnea (79.2%), chest pain (68.8%), fever (54.4%), and purulent sputum production (48.8%). Patients in the continuation phase had higher rates of hemoptysis, dyspnea, chest pain, fever, high-risk PSI classification, elevated CRP, and pleural effusion than those in the intensive phase. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen, accounting for 45.6%; Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 54.4%, mainly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae. MDR accounted for 80.8%, XDR for 16.0%, and PDR for 3.2%. Conclusion: In the study sample, bacterial co-infection pneumonia among patients undergoing treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis was more common during the intensive phase. Patients in the continuation phase had higher rates of hemoptysis, dyspnea, chest pain, fever, high-risk PSI classification, elevated CRP, and pleural effusion than those in the intensive phase. The microbiological spectrum was diverse and the rate of antimicrobial resistance was high. Therefore, early sputum culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing are necessary to guide appropriate antibiotic therapy.
Keywords
Pneumonia co-infection, pulmonary tuberculosis, multidrug resistant
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