Purpose
Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant health problem in foreign-born and accounted for 57% of all tuberculosis cases in the United States in 2006. Almost 20% of American tuberculosis cases are classified as extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). Epidemiologic evidence suggests that the prevalence of EPTB in the US is declining at a much slower rate than pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). This study is designed to examine the factors that are associated with the risk of EPTB in foreign-born residents of DeKalb county.
Methods
In this study, data from the Public Health Information Portal (PHIP), an online system from the Georgia Department of Public Health, was used. A cross-sectional study was conducted on US tuberculosis cases reported in DeKalb county from 2008 to 2018, classified as EPTB and PTB. EPTB encompassed lymphatic, pleural, bone and/or joint, genitourinary, meningeal, peritoneal, and unclassified EPTB cases. The data include demographic information, lifestyle variables, and clinical characteristics of the study subjects. Demographic characteristics and risk factors, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, were compared across TB status (EPTB vs. PTB).
Results
Foreign-born participants with HIV positive status, homelessness and IV drug users had a much higher chance of developing EPTB.
Conclusion
Awareness of the risk of extrapulmonary tuberculosis may help in developing a prevention strategy among foreign-born
