[Tuberculosis in health care personnel in a general hospital].
OBJECTIVE
Tuberculosis is an occupational disease in health care workers. The objective of our study was to review tuberculosis cases in health care professionals from a general hospital and to determine their incidence in relation to the general population.


METHODS
This was a retrospective study of tuberculosis cases among health care workers in a university hospital from 1988 to 2002, evaluating the annual cumulative incidence.


RESULTS
21 tuberculosis cases were found in health care workers. Pulmonary disease was the most frequent type (62%) followed by pleural effusion (28%). The most affected professional category were medical residents (38%) with the emergency service (48%) being the work place with the highest risk. The cumulative incidence in our hospital was higher in relation to the general population although there was a variability between both populations.


CONCLUSIONS
There is risk of tuberculosis transmission among health care workers, principally in the emergency service and the pathology and microbiological departments. A concerted effort is needed to maintain prevention measures in the work place where there is a high risk of infection.
Casas
Xavier
X
Servicio de Neumologia, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
Ruiz-Manzano
Juan
J
Casas
Irma
I
Andreo
Felipe
F
Sanz
José
J
Rodríguez
Nuria
N
Marín
Alicia
A
Prat
Cristina
C
Esteve
María
M
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission