Prevalence of nutritional deficiency in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of nutritional deficiency among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study using data obtained from the Brazilian Case Registry Database and from the medical records of patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (15-59 years of age) residing in one of the municipalities that make up the 16th Regional Health District of the state of Bahia. We calculated the incidence, lethality, and mortality rates, as well as the prevalence of nutritional deficiency, as evaluated by body mass index. Demographic, social, clinical, and epidemiological data were collected.


RESULTS
Of the 72 confirmed cases of tuberculosis, 59 (81.9%) were in males, and 21 (29.2%) of the patients were in the 40-49 year age bracket. The majority (85.3%) described themselves as Mulatto or Black; 55.2% reported using alcohol; and approximately 90% were treated as outpatients. In the district and age bracket studied, the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis was 30.6/100,000 population. Among the 72 patients, data regarding nutritional status was available for 34. Of those, 50% and 25%, respectively, presented nutritional deficiency at the beginning and at the end of treatment. No statistically significant differences were found between normal-weight and malnourished patients regarding the characteristics studied.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of nutritional deficiency was high among our sample of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. This underscores the importance of nutritional follow-up for the assessment of tuberculosis treatment in the decision-making process regarding therapeutic interventions.
University of the State of Bahia, Senhor do Bonfim, Brazil.
Silvana Gomes Nunes
SG
Piva
Maria da Conceição Nascimento
Mda C
Costa
Florisneide Rodrigues
FR
Barreto
Susan Martins
SM
Pereira
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult