Abstract:

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of reported pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (hereinafter referred to as “Corps”) from 2014 to 2023, and to provide strategies for tuberculosis prevention and control in the Corps. Methods: 15697 laboratory confirmed and clinically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis cases with the onset date from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2023 and the current address of the Corps were collected through the “Infectious Disease Reporting Information System”, a subsystem of the “China Disease Prevention and Control Information System”. The average reported incidence rate, the disstributation characteristics of gender, age, occupation and other epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis patients reported by 14 divisions of the Corps in the past 10 years were described. Results: From 2014 to 2023, a total of 15697 pulmonary tuberculosis were reported, with an average reported incidence rate of 51.70/100000 (15697/30361702), showing a downward trend ($\chi_{\text {ternd }}^{2}$=537.579, P<0.001). A total of 69 deaths had been reported, with an average reported mortality rate of 0.23/100000 (69/30361702). The top three cities with the highest average reported incidence rate were the Third Division (99.55/100000, 2463/2474134), the First Division (62.33/100000, 2314/3712694), and the Second Division (57.61/100000, 1256/2180238), all in southern Xinjiang. The reported incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis in southern Xinjiang was 70.12/100000 (6314/9004563), higher than that in northern Xinjiang (43.93/100000, 9383/21357139), with a statistically significant difference (χ ²=840.541, P<0.001). The average reported incidence rate of male and female was 62.18/100000 (9847/15836472) and 40.27/100000 (5850/14525230), respectively, with a significant difference (χ²=703.487, P<0.001). The male-to-female ratio of reported tuberculosis cases was 1.54∶1. The incidence rate increased with age, and the age group over 60 years old (164.27/100000,6680/4066595) increased significantly. The reported tuberculosis were mainly in retired personnel (29.80%, 4677/15697) and farmers (27.74%, 4355/15697). Conclusion: From 2014 to 2023, the reported incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps showed a downward trend, and the division cities in southern Xinjiang were higher than those in northern Xinjiang. It is necessary to strengthen the monitoring, prevention and treatment of specific populations, such as the elderly, retired people, and farmers.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, Epidemiologic studies, Incidence