Epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis among the elderly population at ages of 65 years and older in Yangzhou City / 预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among the elderly at ages of 65 years and older in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province from 2017 to 2021, so as to provide the evidence for the development of PTB prevention and control measures in the elderly. @*Methods@#Data of PTB cases at ages of 65 years and older in Yangzhou City from 2017 to 2021 were collected from the Tuberculosis Management Information System of the Chinese Disease Control and Prevention Information System, including age, gender, current address, population classification and diagnosis classification. Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the temporal distribution, regional distribution, population distribution and delay in healthcare-seeking of PTB cases.@*Results@#A total of 3 283 PTB patients at ages of 65 years and older were registered in Yangzhou City from 2017 to 2021, accounting for 41.12% of the total number of PTB cases. The incidence decreased from 112.10/105 to 66.03/105 (P<0.05), with an average annual incidence of 80.43/105. There were 1 236 cases of PTB cases from April to July, accounting for 37.65%. Guangling District had the highest annual incidence of 96.45/105, followed by Hanjiang District (89.29/105) and Jiangdu district (87.05/105). The average annual incidence of PTB in males was 134.07/105, which was higher than that in females (30.55/105, P<0.05). There were 1 070 cases of PTB cases at ages of 65-69 years, accounting for 32.59%. The highest incidence was seen in men at ages of 85 years and older (200.39/105) and in women at ages of 80-84 years (38.34/105). Farmers were the predominant occupation of PTB cases (2 488 cases, 75.78%). There were 2 365 cases of PTB with delay in healthcare-seeking, accounting for 72.04%.@* Conclusions @#The incidence of PTB in the elderly at ages of 65 years and older in Yangzhou City showed an overall downward trend from 2017 to 2021, peaked from April to July, and was higher in Guangling District, Hanjiang District and Jiangdu District. Males and farmers had higher risks of PTB.