Relationship between anthracosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in patients examined through bronchoscopy

Bronchial anthracosis is due to entrapment of carbon, silica, quartz and other particles in pulmonary mucosa, submucosa, and inside macrophages. Lesions have a black appearance in bronchoscopy and may be accompanied with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between anthracosis and tuberculosis. This is an epidemiologic descriptive study all the patients who under went fiberoptic bronchoscopy in Mashhad Imam Reza hospital from September 2003 to September 2005.Sample of bronchopulmonary lavage of every patient was taken and, in order to get the respective smear and process the culture to identify tuberculosis bacillus, was tested. The obtained data was analysed by means of SPSS statistical software, statistical tests chi-Square, and t-test and P≤0.05 was taken as the significant level. Totally, 1000 patients were evaluated and according to bronchoscopic findings anthracosis was diagnosed in 225 cases. Of these, 58.7% were males and 41.3 females. Mean age was 65.45 ±12.05 years. Pulmonary tuberculosis was demonstrated in 57 (25.3%) of patients while 44 cases (5.7%) of patients without anthracosis had tuberculosis. Thus, pulmonary tuberculosis was significantly more prevalent in patients with anthracosis (P<0.0001). Bronchial anthracosis is one of the notorious symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) thus, in patients with anthracosis and pulmonary symptoms, pulmonary TB should be taken into consideration. This would be an appropriate guide in the prevention and treatment of the patients. On the other hand, regarding that pulmonary tuberculosis is still one of the health problems of the present century caring about its risk factors and coexistant conditions including anthracosis in patients having pulmonary symptoms is recommended.