Abstract:

Objective To analyze tuberculosis (TB) case-finding as well as the trend among prisoners in Tianjin Prison System.Methods The registration data of 1280 prisoners with pulmonary TB in the Tianjin Tuberculosis Registration and Management System from 2011 to 2017 were collected, and changes in the case-finding methods and incidence were analyzed.Results Among the 1280 pulmonary TB patients, patients found by entry screening, annual massive screening and case-finding based on suspect TB symptoms accounted for 28.6% (366 cases), 42.2% (540 cases) and 29.2% (374 cases), respectively. Regarding the case-finding methods, percent by entry screening increased from 15.2% (30/197) in 2011 to 62.5% (135/216) in 2017, and the difference was statistically significant (χ ²=157.22, P<0.01); percent by massive screening decreased from 35.5% (70/197) in 2011 to 26.4% (57/216) in 2017, and the difference was statistically significant (χ ²=16.33, P<0.01); percent by case-finding based on suspect TB symptoms decreased from 49.3% (97/197) in 2011 to 11.1% (24/216) in 2017, and the difference was statistically significant (χ ²=65.12, P<0.01). The incidence of smear positive pulmonary TB patients among prisoners in Tianjin Prison System declined from 44.0/100000 (9/20450) in 2011 to 9.8/100000 in 2017 (2/20452), and the difference was statistically significant (χ ²=6.60, P=0.010). Conclusion Relying on active (entry screening and massive screening) and passive (based on suspect TB symptoms) case finding, TB prevalence among prisoners in Tianjin was effectively controlled. Compared to conventional passive case finding, active case finding played a more important role in TB control among prisoners.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, Prisons, Prisoners, Incidence, Cross-sectional studies, Communicable disease control