Kekkaku : [Tuberculosis]
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Tuberculosis in the elderly remains a health burden in Japan. Most of the elderly aged more than 70 years in Japan had become infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in their youth, and the elderly represent a population at a special high risk for developing tuberculosis owing to comorbidity and age-related immunosuppression. The characteristics of tuberculosis in the elderly are different from young patients. ⋯ Dysphagia features particularly make difficult to take anti-TB drugs and nutritional state worse. The rehabilitation of swallowing functions is effective to improve these conditions. To make discharge support more helpful, the support system, including regional cooperation path is expected to advance more widely and deeply.