A doctor’s danger antennas rightfully shoot up when a patient’s cough lasts for more than 2 weeks, thanks to WHO recommendations. While it's highly appreciable for doctors to be vigilant for pulmonary TB, latest reports suggest that other obstructive airway diseases like asthma and COPD are being overlooked. As per WHO guidelines, cough of more than two weeks should be considered for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a developing country like India. This is essential for early diagnosis and efficient management of PTB.
However, diagnosis of other respiratory disorders especially asthma, COPD and DPLDs are being overlooked due to depending more on PTB as leading cause of chronic cough. To understand the prevalence of PTB and causes other than PTB among patients with cough >2 weeks duration, a study was conducted and recently published in ‘ Indian Journal of Tuberculosis’ . The…
