On Pulmo-Circulatory Dysfunction in Lung Tuberculosis

Recent advances in clinical, radiological and biological investigations have improved the accuracy of diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The routine examinations by auscultation and percussion and its completion by rc-ray examination bring forth numerous findings with respect to the extent of the diseases and the anatomo-pathological conditions of tuberculous patients. Repeated blood examinations (sedimentation test, differential count of white blood cells) yield valuable information. Relatively few reports, however, are available about the influence of tuberculosis on the vital function of the lung, i.e. its respiratory efficiency. As functional examinations are of paramount importance in digestive disturbances, in urinary, nervous and many other diseases, the following discussion will show that the respiratory function al,so plays no minor role in pulmonary tuberculosis.