Role of the Mantoux Test and Treatment with Antitubercular Therapy in a South Indian Patient Population of Presumed Intraocular Tuberculosis

Abstract

Aim: To assess the role of mantoux test and ATT in presumed intraocular tuberculosis in South India.

Materials & Methods: Retrospective study of 51 records of patients with recurrent uveitis with a documented positive mantoux test and a minimum of 1 year followup from the time of initiation of ATT between January 1997 and May 2008. The main outcome measure was the recurrence of inflammation after 1 year of starting ATT.

Results: There was a significant reduction in the number of recurrences of uveitis post ATT (.000).

Conclusions: There is a definite role of ATT in latent TB with uveitis.

KEYWORDS::

• antitubercular therapy
• latent tuberculosis
• Mantoux test
• recurrences
• uveitis

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors acknowledge Mariamma Philips, research scholar, Department of Biostatistics, NIMHANS, for her input in the statistics.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.