Epidemiologic Study of Tuberculosis During 2006 - 2015 in Salmas, Iran

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease which can be lethal in most cases. About 7 million people are infected with TB worldwide. The disease is a major health challenge in developing countries and also in several parts of Iran. Ninety-five percent of 3 million deaths caused by TB annually occur in developing countries. Bearing in mind concerns by WHO about a lack of TB statistics in Iran, this survey aims to study the epidemiology of tuberculosis from 2006 to 2015 in Salmas, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on the data obtained from personal health records of 3195 people who were referred to the community health center in Salmas from 2006 to 2015. Patients participated in the study by filling out a checklist. Data was analyzed statistically using version 21 of SPSS software. Chi-square, t-test and the Cochran-Armitage χ2 test for trend were performed. Results: Out of a total of 3195 patients, 84 patients (42 male and 42 female) were identified as smear-positive; 42 smear-positive patients were from the urban areas (50%) and 42 patients from the rural regions (50%). Of all TB cases, 64 patients were diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (76%), while 20 patients suffered from extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (24%). The TB incidence rate was 0.16. Conclusions: The present study shows that there is a decline in pulmonary tuberculosis incidence rates in Salmas but extra-pulmonary TB has shown an increase as a results of poverty, population dynamics, inadequate healthcare, failure to control the diseases, income inequality and physio-psychological stress. Medical care delivered by health providers on a monthly basis is expected to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis in the city in the near future.