Gynaecological tuberculosis after the age of 40

Summary

Between 1 January 1951 and 1 June 1991, in 711 proved cases of gynaecological tuberculosis, 81 were aged over 40 years when the condition was first discovered (11 per cent). Fifty-five of these (68 per cent) were premenopausal and the remaining 26 (32 per cent) were postmenopausal. Fifty-seven per cent complained of irregular uterine bleeding and 20 per cent of pelvic pain. The average age when diagnosed increased in successive decades and the total numbers decreased. Seventy-five of the 81 patients were treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs, with a cure rate of 97 per cent.