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Research
International research and guidelines on post-tuberculosis chronic lung disorders: a systematic scoping review
  1. Sanne C van Kampen1,
  2. Amanda Wanner1,
  3. Miles Edwards1,
  4. Anthony D Harries2,3,
  5. Bruce J Kirenga4,
  6. Jeremiah Chakaya2,5,
  7. Rupert Jones1
  1. 1 Clinical Trials and Population Studies Department, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
  2. 2 Union Headquarters, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France
  3. 3 Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  4. 4 Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Lung Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
  5. 5 Department of Medicine, Therapeutics, Dermatology and Psychiatry, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sanne C van Kampen; sanne.vankampen{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Introduction Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is an important risk factor for chronic respiratory disease due to residual lung damage. Yet, the WHO End TB strategy does not mention post-TB chronic lung disorders (PTBLDs) and programmatic interventions to address PTBLD are lacking. This study assessed the scope of current guidelines and evidence on PTBLD to inform policy and research action.

Methods A systematic literature search was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Eight databases (TRIP, International Guideline Library, MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Global Health, Cochrane Library) were searched for records on PTBLD published between 1 January 1990 and 1 December 2017. Non-English records, case series, conference abstracts and letters to editors were excluded. Data were extracted and charted on publication year, location, PTBLD condition(s) and main study outcome.

Results A total of 212 guidelines and 3661 articles were retrieved. After screening, only three international TB guidelines mentioned TB sequelae, but none described how to identify or manage the condition. A total of 156 articles addressed PTBLD: 54 (35%) mentioned unspecified TB sequelae; 47 (30%) specific post-TB conditions including aspergillosis, bronchial stenosis or bronchiectasis; 52 (33%) post-TB obstructive disorders or lung function impairment; and 20 (13%) post-TB respiratory symptoms or chest X-ray abnormalities. The first two groups mostly assessed surgery or ventilation techniques for patient management, while the last two groups typically assessed prevalence or predictors of disease.

Conclusion This is the first review to provide a comprehensive overview of the current literature on PTBLD. The scope of evidence around the burden of PTBLD warrants inclusion and recognition of the problem in international TB guidelines. Research is now needed on early detection of PTBLD and patient management options that are suitable for high-burden TB countries.

  • tuberculosis
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • systematic review

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000745

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Alberto L Garcia-Basteiro

    • Contributors SCvK, AW and RJ designed the study and the search strategy. AW performed the literature search. SCvK, AW, ME and RJ performed screening. SCvK and ME performed data extraction and labelling. SCvK performed data analysis. BJK, JC, ADH, RJ and SCvK interpreted the results. SCvK wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors critically reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

    • Funding This research was funded in part by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care of the South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC, UK). The paper was funded in part through a grant from La Fondation Veuve Emile Metz-Tesch (Luxembourg).

    • Disclaimer The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the UK’s National Health Services (NHS), the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data sharing statement All data used in this study are presented in the manuscript.