1. [Tuberculosis in immigrants: clinical and epidemiological differences as compared to the native population (1999-2002)].
- Author
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Ramos JM, Masiá M, Rodríguez JC, Padilla I, Soler MJ, and Gutiérrez F
- Subjects
- Adult, Africa South of the Sahara ethnology, Africa, Northern ethnology, Age Factors, Comorbidity, Europe, Eastern ethnology, Female, HIV Infections epidemiology, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Dropouts, Retrospective Studies, South America ethnology, Spain epidemiology, Tuberculosis epidemiology, Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant epidemiology, Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ethnology, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary epidemiology, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ethnology, Emigration and Immigration, Tuberculosis ethnology
- Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis in immigrants is an emerging disease in industrialized countries., Method: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of culture-positive tuberculosis cases in the immigrant and native populations., Results: One hundred and five cases of tuberculosis were observed; 22 cases (21%) were in immigrants. The 2002 incidence was 64.3 cases per 100,000 immigrants. Mean age of the affected immigrants was 28.5 years lower than that of the affected native population (p < 0.001). The rate of HIV coinfection was 9.1%. In 81.8% (18) of immigrants, presentation was exclusively pulmonary, a higher percentage than in the native population (59.2%) (p = 0.05). Loss to follow-up was more common among immigrants (35%) than among the native population (9.2%) (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Tuberculosis in the immigrant population generally involves the lungs, appears in younger subjects and is a public heath problem because of the high rate of losses to follow-up.
- Published
- 2004
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