Abstract: Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics and the factors influencing the treatment failure and death of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Guangzhou city. Method Cluster sampling was used to randomly sample registered cases of 2 districts from 8 districts in Guangzhou from 1994 to 2003. Results Age,standardized treatment,lung cavernous tuberculosis and complications were risk factors for treatment failure.The OR of standardized treatment was 409.5,significantly higher than those of other risk factors,indicating the standardized treatment was the main influential factor.Sex was protective factor.Age,lung cavernous tuberculosis,and positive smear sputum were risk factors for death,and treatment time was protective factor. Conclusion Standardized treatment was the main risk factor for treatment failure.It is important to strengthen the supervision and to ensure high cure rate.The old patients with cavernous lung tuberculosis are with high risk of treatment failure and death.They are the priority population to be managed,supervised and provided with the specific treatment regimen.

Key words: Pulmonary tuberculosis/treatment, Influencing factors