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A young man presented with primary multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The institution of second-line regimes with insufficient efficacy due to clinical inexperience, unreliable sensitivity reports and the inavailability of second-line drugs led to the development of an organism that was resistant to ten anti-tuberculous drugs. Accurate sensitivity testing done in an overseas laboratory enabled the institution of a six-drug regimen that has resulted in clinical cure.

This retrospective study documents a strong correlation between tuberculin reactivity and the subsequent development of active tuberculosis in student nurses. 12% of the 25 student nurses with tuberculin reactions above 20 mm developed tuberculosis over a period of 2 years, compared to only 0.3% of the 341 student nurses with reactions of 20 mm or less. The implications of these findings for preventive therapy are discussed.

A retrospective study was carried out to ascertain the degree of exposure to the tubercle bacillus within Ipoh Hospital. This study reveals that, over a one year period, 92 sputum positive cases were admitted to the general wards. In 11 of these cases, drug resistance was considered to be possible. The mean time from admission to the commencement of treatment was seven days for the newly diagnosed cases. This study thus documents a significant degree of in-hospital exposure to the tubercle bacillus.

Twenty-seven inmates from a detention centre in Perak were evaluated for possible causes of their ankle oedema. Physical examination and biochemical evaluation did not show any evidence of renal or hepatic dysfunction. The cardiac origin of their problem was suggested by the presence of other signs of heart failure in three of them and by radiological evidence of cardiomegaly in 40% of them. All the patients who returned for review demonstrated a prompt clinical response to thiamine replacement therapy.

Huntington disease has not previously been recorded in Malaysia. We report the first case in a local patient with a positive family history. The implications of diagnosing this disease will be discussed.

Three East Timorese immigrants presented with signs and symptoms of heart failure in early December 1992. One of them also had features of peripheral neuropathy. Another collapsed within 24 hours of admission and attempts at resuscitation failed. The other two showed dramatic response to oral thiamine therapy. An investigation into their dietary history established gross deficiency in fresh vegetables.