title: Conformance contrast testing between rates of pulmonary tuberculosis in Ecuadorian border areas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate rates of cases of respiratory symptomatic subjects and the incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis in two border areas of Ecuador, and contrast them with official figures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey in the southeastern (SEBA), and the Andean southern Ecuadorian border areas (ASBA), which were conducted, respectively, in 1 598 and 2 419 persons aged over 15 years recruited over periods of three weeks. In identified respiratory symptomatic cases, a sputum sample was taken for smear testing. The results (odds ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals), were compared with local and national official figures using maximum likelihood contrasts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rates of respiratory symptomatic subjects (7.7% and 5.9% in the SEBA, and ASBA, respectively) and of pulmonary tuberculosis (cumulative incidence rates of 125 and 140 per 100 000 inhabitants, in the same order) were significantly greater than the official figures (of 0.98 and 0.99% for respiratory symptomatic subjects in the SEBA and ASBA, respectively; and of 38.23 per 100 000 inhabitants for pulmonary tuberculosis in Ecuador as a whole) (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is necessary to reinforce both active case finding for respiratory symptomatic subject cases, and epidemiological surveillance of pulmonary tuberculosis in Ecuadorian border regions.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Bioestadística, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Rico
authors.affiliation: Grups de Reserca de America i Africa Llatines, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aldaz
authors.affiliation: Grups de Reserca de America i Africa Llatines, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Héctor Javier
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Bioestadística, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martín Mateo
authors.affiliation: Grups de Reserca de America i Africa Llatines, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romero-Sandoval
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003441:Crowding; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D000067010:Literacy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011156:Population Density; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D062487:Social Marginalization; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult