--- abstract: 'Background & objective: Early detection and prompt treatment is the basis of tuberculosis control through reducing the reservoir of infection. The objective of the present study was to study the effect of reducing the screening criteria of chest symptomatics from existing ≥ 3 weeks to ≥ 2 weeks on case detection of smear positive tuberculosis and laboratory load. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out at General Out-Patient Department (GOPD) of Kasturba Hospital, Sewagram. All the chest symptomatics with cough of two weeks or more than two weeks duration attending in GOPD were screened for pulmonary tuberculosis by examining the three sputum smears in designated microscopy center as per RNTCP guidelines. The data was entered and analyzed using epi_info 6.04d. Results: Number of sputum positive cases detected using RNTCP guideline (cough ≥ 3 weeks) for screening the chest symptomatic for AFB was 104. When, the screening guideline was modified from cough ≥ 3 weeks duration to cough ≥ 2 weeks duration, it yielded 138 cases. The yield of sputum positive cases of tuberculosis was increased by 32.7%. This also increased the laboratory load by 54.8%. Conclusion: The modifications of existing screening criteria from cough ≥ 3 weeks to cough ≥ 2 weeks increased the yield of sputum positive cases by 1.3 times and the laboratory (microscopy center) load by 1.5 times' altloc: - http://www.ojhas.org/issue30/2009-2-7.htm chapter: ~ commentary: ~ commref: ~ confdates: ~ conference: ~ confloc: ~ contact_email: ~ creators_id: - ~ - prdeshmukh@gmail.com - ~ - ~ creators_name: - family: Nimbarte given: SB honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Deshmukh given: PR honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Mehendale given: AM honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Garg given: BS honourific: '' lineage: '' date: 2009-09-08 date_type: published datestamp: 2009-11-14 11:38:29 department: ~ dir: disk0/00/00/66/73 edit_lock_since: ~ edit_lock_until: ~ edit_lock_user: ~ editors_id: - Kakkilaya BS editors_name: - family: Kakkilaya given: Srinivas honourific: Dr. lineage: '' eprint_status: archive eprintid: 6673 fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/6673/1/2009%2D2%2D7.pdf full_text_status: public importid: ~ institution: ~ isbn: ~ ispublished: pub issn: ~ item_issues_comment: [] item_issues_count: 0 item_issues_description: [] item_issues_id: [] item_issues_reported_by: [] item_issues_resolved_by: [] item_issues_status: [] item_issues_timestamp: [] item_issues_type: [] keywords: Smear-positive tuberculosis; Chest symptomatic; Cough duration; Yield; Laboratory load lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:57:30 latitude: ~ longitude: ~ metadata_visibility: show note: ~ number: 2 pagerange: ~ pubdom: TRUE publication: Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences publisher: Kakkilaya BS refereed: TRUE referencetext: "1.\tGovernment of India. Managing the RNTCP programme in your area, a training course, Module(1-4). Central TB division, Directorate generate of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi April 2005;1-3.\r\n2.\tFriedman T, editor. Toman’s Tuberculosis Case detection, treatment, and monitoring –questions and answers. 2nd edition. Geneva, World Health Organization.\r\n3.\tCentral TB Division. Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Government of India. Technical guidelines for tuberculosis control, Delhi: DGHS, 2000. \r\n4.\tSantha T, Garg R, Subramani R, Chandrasekaran V, Selvakumar N, Sisodia RS, et al. Comparison of cough of 2 and 3 weeks to improve detection of smear positive tuberculosis cases among out-patients in India. Int J Tuber Lung Dis 2005;1:61-68.\r\n5.\tWHO declares tuberculosis a global emergency. URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/mq5q65l3336273m5/fulltext.pdf?page=1\r\n6.\tGovernment of India. Operational Guidelines for Tuberculosis Control. Central TB Division, DGHS, New Delhi, India. 2001.\r\n7.\tGovernment of India; RNTCP Performance Report, India Second Quarter. Central TB Division, Directorate General of Health Services, New Delhi. 2007;3-5.\r\n8.\tThomas A, Chandrasekaran V, Joseph P, Rao VB, Patil AB, Jain DK. Increased yield of mear positive pulmonary TB cases by screening patients with > 2 weeks cough, compared to > 3weeks and adequacy of 2 sputum smear examinations for diagnosis. Indian J Tuberc 2008;55:77-83\r\n9.\tMasse SR, Ramsey A, Ng V, Henry M, Hopewell PC, Cunningham J, et al. Yield of serial sputum specimen examinations in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis: a systematic review. Int J Tuber Lung Dis 2007;11(5):485-495" relation_type: [] relation_uri: [] reportno: ~ rev_number: 21 series: ~ source: ~ status_changed: 2009-11-14 11:38:29 subjects: - OJHAS succeeds: ~ suggestions: ~ sword_depositor: ~ sword_slug: ~ thesistype: ~ title: Effect of duration of cough (≥3 weeks Vs ≥2 weeks) on yield of sputum positive tuberculosis cases and laboratory load type: journale userid: 4338 volume: 8