title: Overview of the tuberculosis burden in prison institutions in Japan, 2000-2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although prison inmates in Japan are considered a high-risk group for tuberculosis (TB), little is known about the overall TB burden in prisons.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of TB among inmates in Japan, and to perform an ecological analysis to identify an association between socio-economic factors and TB incidence in prisons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the annual reports on correctional statistics, we calculated TB incidence among inmates between 2000 and 2012. Multivariate analysis was conducted with selected socio-economic variables to examine their impact on overall and age-specific incidence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average TB incidence between 2000 and 2012 among inmates was 255.0 per 100,000 population. The proportion of foreigners among new inmates was the best predictor of overall TB incidence, as well as of incidence among inmates aged 20-29 and 30-39 years. The proportion of those working in the construction industry before being arrested was the best predictor of incidence among those aged 40-49 and 50-59 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TB incidence among inmates was approximately 11 times higher than in the general population. A more detailed analysis of patient information is needed to identify specific risk groups within the incarcerated population and improve case finding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (RIT/JATA), Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kawatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (RIT/JATA), Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchimura
authors.affiliation: Tama Juvenile Training School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Office of the Director, RIT/JATA, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult