Treating tuberculosis in the elderly population: a lesson in multi-disciplinary care

IntroductionIt is estimated that the risk of reactivation of previously untreated healed or latent tuberculosis is around 0.04 cases per 100 person-years. The incidence of active tuberculosis in Peterborough is 28.0 per 100,000 population compared with 8.3 in the East of England region.2 The majority of patients are of Indian or Pakistani origin and aged between 15 and 65.Case presentationHere, we present the case of an 88-year-old gentleman who successfully completed anti-tuberculous therapy for smear-negative tuberculosis and discuss some of the issues encountered in his management, with particular emphasis on drug surveillance, tolerance of anti-tuberculous therapy and drug interactions.ConclusionElderly persons presenting with tuberculosis are more likely to present atypically and may need a staged initiation of therapy with continued pharmacist advice, due to high risk of interactions.