| Summary: | MSc (Med), Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand === Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) persists as a serious global public heath
problem of a magnitude requiring urgent attention. The increase in new cases
of TB in African countries where the prevalence of HIV is relatively low has
been associated with other host and environmental factors. There is little or
no comparable data on the association between host and environmental
related factors and TB incidence in low HIV prevalence regions of South
Africa.
Objectives: This study aims to investigate host and environmental factors
associated with incident TB in one region of South Africa.
Methods: 3493 TB-free participants were recruited, and baseline data
collected at the beginning of 2003 in the Lung Health Study in Ravensmead
and Uitsig, Cape Town, South Africa. The TB register was used to identify
new cases among the 3493 participants between 2003 and 2007.
Results: Of the 3493 study participants, 109 developed TB; i.e. 57 males and
52 females. The incidence of TB in the Ravensmead and Uitsig study
population was 632 per 100 000. Cohabiting, OR= 2.09 (95% CI= 1.05 -
4.17), smoking, OR= 2.19 (95% CI= 1.48 - 4.14), and history of imprisonment
OR= 1.88 (95% CI= 1.09 - 3.23) were all statistically associated with TB
incidence in multiple logistic regression models. The summary population
attributable fraction for these three factors was 53.2%.
Conclusions: TB incidence was high in this community. Cigarette smoking
was one of the most important predictors of TB incidence, and the proportion
of smokers in this population was relatively high. TB control and prevention
strategies need to focus on interventions which will reduce or limit the impact of TB risk factors.
|
|---|
