What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a matched cohort study using a national health insurance database to compare the incidence of tuberculosis reactivation in patients who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy versus a matched control group.
What They Found
Out of 2258 patients, 1129 received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and 1129 did not. One year post-exposure, the HBOT group had significantly more active tuberculosis cases (11 cases) compared to the non-HBOT group (1 case, P = 0.006). Multiple regression analysis confirmed HBOT as the sole significant contributor to TB activation.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients considering hyperbaric oxygen therapy, especially those at high risk for tuberculosis, should be screened for latent tuberculous infection beforehand. Identifying and treating latent infection could prevent the reactivation of tuberculosis disease following HBOT.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted using a national health insurance database from another country.
Study Limitations
As a retrospective database study, it may be limited by unmeasured confounding factors or specific characteristics of the studied population.