Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the factors influencing time to sputum smear and culture conversion among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. One hundred-three patients with sputum smear positive pul - monary tuberculosis patients, who were treated in our clinic from January 1997 to December 1999, were included in this study. Seventy four of the patients had new and 29 had prior tuberculosis history and all of them had sputum smear conversion with a susceptibility to all the drugs used in the treatment. Among the factors investigated such as age, tuberculosis history, diabetes mellitus, cavitary disease, radiologically exten - sive disease, the only factor that prolonged time to sputum smear conversion was diabetes mellitus (p=0.03).