The goal of this study is to define the concept of tuberculosis in the elderly expressed in the literature covering the 80's and 90's . We have used concept analysis with emphasis on "essential attributes", "preceding events, and "consequential events", which build up the core sense of the concept to be defined. The elderly tuberculosis is expressed as the recrudescence of infection inactivated for a long time. The elderly is predispose to endogenous and exogenous reinfection. Among the most important "preceding" events are the institutional housing as a contact disease source. The "consequential" events are related to the need of a differentiate treatment and diagnostic in elderly due clinical conditions. We arrive at the conclusion that new studies about the concept analysis need to be developed in order to contribute to the knowledge about the diagnosis, treatment and care to elderly patients.
tuberculosis; elderly
