Abstract:

Objective To analyze the characteristics of diagnosis delay among elderly tuberculosis patients in Dongguan City from 2009 to 2018, so as to provide scientific basis for improving the prevention and control of elderly tuberculosis. Methods Medical information regarding 1637 elderly tuberculosis patients from Dongguan was collected from the subsystem of China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention-Tuberculosis Information Management System from 2009 to 2018, which included gender, age, domicile place, treatment category, source of patient, etc. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of patient delay and facility delay. Results The patient delay of elderly TB patients was 74.3% (1216/1637), and the facility delay was 13.5% (221/1637). The multivariate analyses of patient delay indicated that the patient delay rate of local patients was significantly higher than that in nonlocal patients (OR (95%CI): 1.31 (1.04-1.66)). Taking urban area/central area/northeast area/northwest area as reference, the patient delay rates were higher in patients in southwest area (OR (95%CI): 1.49 (1.04-2.12)), but lower in patients in southeast area (OR (95%CI): 0.71 (0.50-0.99)). The patient delay rate in patients with positive etiology and only tuberculosis pleurisy was significantly higher than that in patients with negative etiology (OR (95%CI): 2.08 (1.61-2.70)). The patient delay rate in patients from 2014 to 2018 was significantly higher than that from 2009 to 2013 (OR (95%CI): 1.63 (1.29-2.06)). The patient delay rate in retreatment patients was lower than that in new patients (OR (95%CI): 0.45 (0.29-0.70)). The multivariate analyses of facility delay indicated that the rate of facility delay was higher in retreatment patients than in new patients (OR (95%CI): 1.94 (1.09-3.47)), was higher in patients with clinical consultation than that in tracing and other patients (OR (95%CI): 3.24 (1.49-7.05)), was lower in patients with positive etiology and only tuberculosis pleurisy than that in patients with negative etiology (OR (95%CI): 0.49 (0.34-0.69)), and was lower in patients from 2014 to 2018 than that from 2009 to 2013 (OR (95%CI): 0.50 (0.37-0.67)). Conclusion It is not optimistic about the diagnosis delay of elderly tuberculosis patients in Dongguan City. Targeted publicity and education should be carried out continually for the elderly.

Key words: Tuberculosis, Aged, Patient delay, Facility delay, Factor analysis, statistical