A Study on Relationship Between Anthracosis and Pulmonary Tuberculosis

 Background & Objective:  Anthracosis is a bronchoscopic finding characterized by the presence of black pigments in the bronchial mucosa. In this study we examined the relationship between anthracosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in a sample size much larger than previous studies in order to alleviate the ambiguities and controversy surrounding this issue.  Materials & Methods:  This cross-sectional study was conducted from April ۲۰۱۰ to October ۲۰۱۶ on patients referred to the hospital for bronchoscopy due to any respiratory problem. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was sampled during bronchoscopy and the smears and cultures of tuberculosis mycobacterium acquired from the samples were examined. Results:  In this study, ۲۳۷۷ patients were studied. The patients aged between ۳۰ and ۹۶ years, and of all patients, ۱۳۹۷ individuals were male. The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among patients with and without anthracosis was ۹.۲۴% and ۳.۰۷%, respectively (P<۰.۰۰۱). The frequency ratio of females with anthracosis in comparison with males with anthracosis showed that the prevalence of this disease among females is higher than in males (P<۰.۰۰۱). Conclusion:  Pulmonary tuberculosis and anthracosis are related to each other and there is a direct relationship between the prevalence of pulmonary anthracosis and age and the female sex.

Keywords:

Anthracosis , Bronchoalveolar lavage , Iran , Tuberculosis