A comparison of clinical features of mycobacterial infections in young and elderly patients.

A comparison was made of the presentation of tuberculosis (TB) between a young immigrant population from Ethiopia (mean age 21.2 +/- 16 yr) and an elderly Israeli group (mean age 71.4 +/- 10 yr). Prominent differences were the complaint of weakness among the elderly who also had more anorexia and weight loss. The time between the onset of complaints and the diagnosis was 2 months in the elderly and 3.5 wk in the younger group (p < 0.05). Four of the elderly died, 2 from causes related to TB; none of the younger patients died. The insidious and non-specific symptoms in the elderly tend to cause a delay in the diagnosis unless there is a high index of suspicion.