Association of Smoking, Previous Tuberculosis, and Family History with HRCT Manifestations in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis remains a major public health problem, and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is an important imaging modality for evaluating parenchymal, airway, cavitary, and pleural manifestations. However, the relationship between selected clinical history factors and specific HRCT findings remains uncertain. Objective: To evaluate the association of smoking history, previous tuberculosis history, and family history of tuberculosis with HRCT manifestations among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the Department of Radiology, Lahore General Hospital, and included 94 adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who underwent HRCT chest evaluation. Clinical history variables included smoking history, previous tuberculosis history, and family history of tuberculosis. HRCT findings included consolidation, pleural effusion, tree-in-bud pattern, cavitation, and bronchiectasis. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages, and associations were assessed using chi-square testing with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Smoking history was present in 38 patients (40.4%), previous tuberculosis history in 51 (54.3%), and family history of tuberculosis in 24 (25.5%). The most frequent HRCT findings were consolidation (46.8%), bronchiectasis (45.7%), and tree-in-bud pattern (42.6%), followed by cavitation (36.2%) and pleural effusion (27.7%). No statistically significant association was observed between any clinical history factor and HRCT manifestation. Conclusion: Smoking history, previous tuberculosis history, and family history of tuberculosis were not significantly associated with selected HRCT findings in this sample. Larger adjusted studies using standardized HRCT severity scoring are needed.