[Extrapulmonary tuberculosis at "Benéfico Jurídico" hospital in the 1999-2003 period].

A retrospective and descriptive study was conducted on patients diagnosed with extrapul-monary tuberculosis and discharged from "Benéfico Juridico" neumological hospital in the 1999-2003 period. The objective was to describe the perfor-mance of this disease. As a result, it was find out that of a total number of 353 diagnosed patients, 14% had extrapulmonary tuberculosis, 58% of these patients were in the 35-54 years age group, being the average age 39 years. The most frequent clinical manifestation was pleural (81%) followed by ganglionic tuberculosis (15%). Sixty one percent of cases were diagnosed based on clinical indications. Only 8% of patients were diagnosed by isolation of tuberculosis bacillus in a Lowestein-Jensen culture.