Epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis among patients of two hospitals in Athens
Journal Title: Αρχεία Ελληνικής Ιατρικής - Year 2006, Vol 23, Issue 1
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Despite its profound clinical significance and worldwide resurgence, the epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among adults in Greece is poorly defined. The goal of this study was to collect relevant epidemiological data from patients diagnosed with TB in the two largest pulmonary hospitals in Athens and to characterize the respective isolates. METHOD Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were obtained from 250 TB patients hospitalized consecutively in the "Sotiria" and "Sismanoglio" hospitals. Susceptibility of the respective Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates to five antimycobacterial agents was assessed. All strains originating from "Sotiria" and selected strains from "Sismanoglio" were genotyped by the Mycobacterial Interspersed Repeat Unit (MIRU) method. RESULTS Most patients were males (75.6%), residents of Attika (76%), and had pulmonary TB (90.8%), a positive PPD test (86.1%) and a positive acid fast smear (73.2%), while 46.8% were of low socioeconomic status and 31.2% were non-Greek-born. Known risk factors for the development of TB were identified: chronic disease 27.6%, immunosuppression 9.6%, substance abuse 11.2% and institutionalization 7.6%, while 11.2% had suffered from TB in the past, half of whom were noncompliant to treatment. Non-Greeks more frequently demonstrated low socioeconomic status (66.7% and 37.8%, respectively, P
Authors and Affiliations
D. HOUHOULA, N. SCARMOUTSOU, E. FAVIOU, S. NIKOLAOU, C. VLETSAS, W. TAMVAKIS, G. VOURLI, P. TASIOS, L. ZERVA
Keywords
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