Clusters of heterogeneity of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection in Brazil: a geospatial study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the geospatialization of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection in Brazil, from 2010 to 2021, and the correlation with socioeconomic, housing, and health indicators. METHODS: An ecological study of Brazilian municipalities and states, with data from HIV and tuberculosis information systems, previously reported by the Ministry of Health. The crude and smoothed coefficients were calculated by the local empirical Bayesian method of incidence of coinfection per 100,000 inhabitants in the population aged between 18 and 59 years. Univariate (identification of clusters) and bivariate (correlation with 20 indicators) Moran's indices were used. RESULTS: A total of 122,223 cases of coinfection were registered in Brazil from 2010 to 2021, with a mean coefficient of 8.30/100,000. The South (11.44/100,000) and North (9.93/100,000) regions concentrated the highest burden of infections. The coefficients dropped in Brazil, in all regions, in the years of covid-19 (2020 and 2021). The highest coefficients were observed in the municipalities of the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Amazonas, with high-high clusters in the capitals, border regions, coast of the country. The municipalities belonging to the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, Paraná, and Piauí showed low-low clusters. There was a direct correlation with human development indices and aids rates, as well as an indirect correlation with the proportion of poor or of those vulnerable to poverty and the Gini index. CONCLUSIONS: The spatial analysis of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection showed heterogeneity in the Brazilian territory and constant behavior throughout the period, revealing clusters with high-burden municipalities, especially in large urban centers and in states with a high occurrence of HIV and/or tuberculosis. These findings, in addition to alerting to the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, can incorporate strategic planning for the control of coinfection, aiming to eliminate these infections as public health problems by 2030.

Disparidades geoprogramáticas do desempenho de indicadores da tuberculose na população em situação de rua no Brasil: uma abordagem ecológica / Geoprogrammatic disparities in the performance of tuberculosis indicators in the homeless population in Brazil: an ecological approach

RESUMO Objetivo: Analisar o desempenho e a distribuição espacial de indicadores de controle da tuberculose na população em situação de rua no Brasil. Métodos: Estudo ecológico, que teve como unidade de análise as regiões e as unidades federadas do Brasil. Os indicadores considerados, referentes ao período de 2015 a 2021, foram: proporção de testagem para HIV, proporção de coinfecção tuberculose-HIV, proporção de realização do tratamento diretamente observado e proporção dos desfechos (cura, abandono do tratamento e óbito). O cálculo foi efetuado sobre cada unidade ecológica, conforme recomendações do Ministério da Saúde. Para a produção das figuras geográficas, utilizou-se a técnica de quebras naturais. Resultados: Identificou-se que as pessoas em situação de rua apresentaram: baixa testagem para HIV, com destaque para o Pará (71,7%); alta proporção de coinfecção tuberculose-HIV, especialmente no Rio Grande do Sul (39,9%); e implementação insatisfatória do tratamento diretamente observado, principalmente na Paraíba (7,7%). No que se refere aos desfechos, verificou-se elevado abandono do tratamento, com maior proporção em Roraima (52,9%), e alto número de óbitos, com ênfase para o Mato Grosso do Sul (23,1%), que também registrou a pior proporção de cura (28,7%). Conclusão: Evidenciou-se baixo desempenho dos indicadores de controle da tuberculose nas pessoas em situação de rua, com distribuição heterogênea entre os estados e as regiões do país, sendo notório que a maioria deles teve resultados insuficientes. Esses dados suscitam a persistência de dificuldades e desafios inerentes à implementação das estratégias de controle da tuberculose para essa população no território nacional.

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the performance and spatial distribution of tuberculosis control indicators in the homeless population in Brazil. Methods: Ecological study, which had the regions and federal units of Brazil as the unit of analysis. The indicators considered, referring to the period from 2015 to 2021, were: proportion of HIV testing, proportion of tuberculosis-HIV co-infection, proportion of directly observed treatment, and proportion of outcomes (cure, treatment abandonment and death). The calculation was performed on each ecological unit, as recommended by the Ministry of Health. For the production of geographic figures, the technique of natural breaks was used. Results: It was identified that people living on the streets had: low HIV testing, especially in Pará (71.7%); high proportion of tuberculosis-HIV coinfection, especially in Rio Grande do Sul (39.9%); and unsatisfactory implementation of directly observed treatment, mainly in Paraíba (7.7%). With regard to outcomes, there was a high rate of treatment abandonment, with a higher proportion in Roraima (52.9%), and a high number of deaths, with an emphasis on Mato Grosso do Sul (23.1%), which also recorded the worst cure rate (28.7%). Conclusion: There was evidence of poor performance of tuberculosis control indicators in homeless people, with heterogeneous distribution between states and regions of the country, and it is clear that most of them had insufficient results. These data raise the persistence of difficulties and challenges inherent to the implementation of tuberculosis control strategies for this population in the national territory.