Abstract:

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics and the trends of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among the elderly and non-elderly in the central urban area, Tianjin, and to provide reference for formulating relative policies. Methods: The case information of the TB patients managed and registered for the first time in the central urban area of Tianjin from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2020 were collected from China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention, including the general demographic information, patient origin, the classification of treatment, the results of etiologic and drug sensitivity test, etc. The patients were divided into the elderly TB patients (≥60 years old) and non-elderly PTB patients (<60 years old), and the characteristics of PTB patients in the two groups were compared and analyzed. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the temporal trend of the annual registration rate of PTB patients. Results: A total of 20950 cases of PTB were registered in the central urban area of Tianjin from 2006 to 2020, among whom 6217 cases (29.68%) were elderly patients. Compared with non-elderly patients, the proportion of male (OR=1.16, 95%CI: 1.09-1.24), Han nationality (OR=2.83, 95%CI: 2.03-3.95), local household registration (OR=6.28, 95%CI: 4.99-7.91), retreatment patients (OR=2.34, 95%CI: 2.18-2.52) and those with comorbid diabetes (OR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.04-1.32) were relatively higher among elderly patients with PTB. The Joinpoint regression model showed that the annual registration rate of PTB in the elderly decreased significantly decreased from 2006 to 2020 (APC=―4.693%, 95%CI: ―7.359%-―1.951%, P=0.003). The annual registration rate of non-elderly pulmonary TB showed an overall declining trend from 2006—2020 (AAPC=―4.767%, 95%CI: ―6.762%-―2.729%, P<0.001). Conclusion: Compared with non-elderly people, the elderly population had a higher PTB registration rate. The disease burden of PTB is heavier among the elderly, men, retreatment patients and patients with diabetes. With increasing aging in Tianjin more attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of PTB in the elderly in order to achieve the goal of ending the epidemic of tuberculosis in Tianjin.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, Aged, Epidemiologic study characteristics as topic, Statistical distributions, Regression analysis