Objective: To evaluate the age-specific mortality in a national TB cohort, and to estimate relative age-specific mortality compared with matched controls, in a retrospective case-control study.

Methods: Using Danish National Patient Registry, we retrospectively identified TB-patients between 1998-2010. They were matched to controls by age, gender, civil status and geography. Mortality data were obtained from Danish Civil Registration System. We calculated age-specific hazard ratio and cumulative survival function, adjusting for varying follow-up, distributing.

Results: 6713 cases and 28217 controls were followed for max. 12 (span: 0-12) years. Mortality was higher for cases than controls in all age groups, and significantly so for age groups above 20 years, peaking at a Hazard Ratio of 8.7 (95% CI: 5.53;16.69) in the 30-39 years age

Conclusion: Cumulative mortality of TB-patients is significantly inferior to matched controls. While the difference in survival is substantial among elderly patients, a high relative risk of dying is particularly of concern among young and middle-aged adult TB patients.