Clinical-epidemiologic aspects of patients with tuberculosis, Guantánamo 2013-2018

Abstract

Introduction: despite the scientific efforts to eliminate tuberculosis, it is currently considered as a reemerging disease. In Guantánamo province, no research closely related to the subject was found.

Objective: to describe the clinical-epidemiologic aspects of patients with tuberculosis in Guantánamo province, period 2013-2018.

Method: a descriptive, retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with tuberculosis was carried out. The study involved a total of 103 patients (N꓿103) recorded in a database manages at the Centro Provincial de Higiene, Epidemiología y Microbiología of Guantánamo. The variables studied were as follow: age, sex, risk group, municipality to which patients belong and, clinical forms. The absolute and relative frequencies were used as summary statistics method.

Results: the highest number of patients with tuberculosis was found in 40 to 49 years age group (28.16%), and the male sex stood out in the group of age 50 to 59 (15.53%). The municipality with the highest number of cases was Guantánamo with 67 patients (65.04%), followed by Jamaica municipality with 10 patients (9.70%). Forty three of all the patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (50,0%) were addicted to smoking, 19 (22,10%) addicted to alcohol, and 11 (12,79%) in malnutrition state. As a result in the study, it was found in 72 patients (69.90%) presence of pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in 31 active patients (30.10%).

Conclusions: despite of an adequate network of diagnosis, treatment and tuberculosis follow-up in the province of Guantánamo, there are several factors that determine the presence of the disease: for instance, the inadequate use of socioeconomic, sanitary and individual factors, including also aspects like overcrowding, malnutrition, and alcoholism.