Fourteen-year trend of tuberculosis dynamics in the northwest of Turkey.
BACKGROUND
The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in different countries as estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) vary from 23/100,000 and less in industrialized countries, 191/100,000 in Africa and 237/100,000 in South East Asia.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to analyze the dynamics of TB in the northwest of Turkey, between 1988 and 2001.


METHODS
All pulmonary TB cases reported to the National Tuberculosis Center by local TB dispensaries during 1988-2001 were analyzed. The number of new and relapsed TB cases were documented and classified according to age and type of TB (standard classification of TB patients according to disease type: pulmonary, new, smear positive; pulmonary, smear negative; relapse, and extrapulmonary). We recorded information about the prevalence of TB in different patient groups (patients with a contact history, patients who were detected in active community screening or passive case finding), TB trends in different age groups, type of TB, patients who had relapses, percentage of patients who were lost to follow-up.


RESULTS
A total number of 288,996 patients were examined at Zonguldak Tuberculosis Dispensary between 1988 and 2001. Case notification rates of TB decreased over the study period. Respiratory TB was the most commonly encountered form of disease (>90%). The percentage of TB decreased in the 0- to 14-, 15- to 24-year-olds and increased in the 25- to 44- and 45- to 64-year-olds.


CONCLUSIONS
Properly designed disease surveillance systems are critical for monitoring the TB trends so that each country can identify its own high-risk groups and target interventions to prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease.
Kart
Levent
L
Zonguldak Karaelmas University Medical Faculty, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zonguldak, Turkey. kartlevent@hotmail.com
Akduman
Deniz
D
Altin
Remzi
R
Tor
Meltem
M
Unalacak
Murat
M
Begendik
Fusun
F
Erdem
Funda
F
Alparslan
Umit
U
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology