Longitudinal Lung Function Decrease in Subjects with Spontaneous Healed Pulmonary Tuberculosis

ObjectiveWe compared the longitudinal course of post-bronchodilator Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (pFEV1) over a 10-year period in subjects with spontaneous healed pulmonary tuberculosis (SHPTB) with that in normal subjects.MethodsWe prospectively investigated 339 subjects with SHPTB and 3211 normal subjects. pFEV1 values measured biannually over 10 years were analyzed using mixed effects model.ResultsAt baseline, there were no differences in gender, smoking amount, and mean height, except mean age (50.0 ± 8.1 VS. 48.1 ± 7.3, PConclusionThe average lung function in terms of pFEV1 decreases faster in subjects with SHPTB than in normal individuals over time.