Tuberculosis forecasting and temporal trends by sex and age in a high endemic city in northeastern Brazil: where were we before the Covid-19 pandemic?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the temporal trend of tuberculosis cases according to sex and age group and evidence the level of disease before the Covid-19 pandemic in a TB high endemic city. METHODS: This was a time series study carried out in a city in northeast Brazil. The population was composed of cases of tuberculosis, excluding those with HIV-positive status, reported between the years 2002 and 2018. An exploratory analysis of the monthly rates of tuberculosis detection, smoothed according to sex and age group, was performed. Subsequently, the progression of the trend and prediction of the disease were also characterized according to these aspects. For the trends forecast, the seasonal autoregressive linear integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and the usual Box-Jenkins method were used to choose the most appropriate models. RESULTS: A total of 1620 cases of tuberculosis were reported, with an incidence of 49.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in men and 34.0 per 100,000 in women. Regarding the incidence for both sexes, there was a decreasing trend, which was similar for age. Evidence resulting from the application of the time series shows a decreasing trend in the years 2002-2018, with a trend of stability. CONCLUSIONS: The study evidenced a decreasing trend in tuberculosis, even before the Covid-19 pandemic, for both sex and age; however, in a step really slow from that recommended by the World Health Organization. According to the results, the disease would have achieved a level of stability in the city next years, however it might have been aggravated by the pandemic. These findings are relevant to evidence the serious behavior and trends of TB in a high endemic scenario considering a context prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Social inequalities associated with the onset of tuberculosis in disease-prone territories in a city from northeastern Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis remains a major health problem worldwide, killing thousand adults and children every year mainly in developing countries as Brazil. The disease is socially determined, caused mainly by inequalities as overcrowding, bad conditions of housing, unemployment, and limited access to health care. The aim of this study was to identify the social inequalities associated with the onset of tuberculosis in disease-prone territories in a city from the Northeast. METHODOLOGY: This was an ecological study, which has gathered patients diagnosed with tuberculosis through secondary data source in a city from the northeast of Brazil. The GAMLSS statistical model has been applied considering as response variable the count of Tuberculosis cases and the independent variable, the social conditions. The double Poisson distribution was considered in the analysis. The best model fitted was selected according the Akaike information criterion value. For all tests, the p value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: 460 patients with diagnosis of tuberculosis were identified, which represents an incidence of 36.3 cases/100,000 in males and 20.7 cases/100,000 in females. Regarding social inequality associated with tuberculosis, income (households with per capita income between 1/8 and 3 minimum wages), gender and age (Proportion of males under 15 years of age) were associated with the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The findings evidenced the social determinants associated with tuberculosis, with a greater occurrence of the disease in areas with mostly male children and low-income families, these issues must be managed within and beyond the health sector, which is mandatory for the Tuberculosis elimination.

Trends and forecasts of leprosy for a hyperendemic city from Brazil's northeast: Evidence from an eleven-year time-series analysis.

This study's objective was to estimate the temporal trends of leprosy according to sex and age groups, as well as to estimate and predict the progression of the disease in a hyperendemic city located in the northeast of Brazil. This ecological time-series study was conducted in Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil. Leprosy cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2016 were included. Detection rates stratified by sex and age groups were estimated. The study of temporal trends was accomplished using the Seasonal-Trend Decomposition method and temporal modeling of detection rates using linear seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model according to Box and Jenkins method. Trend forecasts were performed for the 2017-2020 period. A total of 3,212 cases of leprosy were identified, the average incidence among men aged between 30 and 59 years old was 201.55/100,000 inhabitants and among women in the same age group was 135.28/100,000 inhabitants. Detection rates in total and by sex presented a downward trend, though rates stratified according to sex and age presented a growing trend among men aged less than 15 years old and among women aged 60 years old or over. The final models selected in the time-series analysis show the forecasts of total detection rates and rates for men and women presented a downward trend for the 2017-2020 period. Even though the forecasts show a downward trend in Imperatriz, the city is unlikely to meet a significant decrease of the disease burden by 2020.

Determinants of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in São Paulo-Brazil: a multilevel Bayesian analysis of factors associated with individual, community and access to health services.

OBJECTIVE: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a serious public health problem worldwide. Accordingly, this study sought to identify individual, community and access to health services risk factors for MDR-TB. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of all TB cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2016 in the state of São Paulo. A Bayesian spatial hierarchical analysis with a multilevel design was carried out. RESULTS: It was identified that the history of previous TB treatment (Odds Ratios [OR]:13.86, 95% credibility interval [95% CI]:12.06-15.93), positive sputum culture test (OR: 5.26, 95% CI: 4.44-6.23), diabetes mellitus (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.87-2.91), residing at a standard address (OR: 2.62, 95% CI: 1.91-3.60), positive sputum smear microscopy (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.44-2.12), cavitary pulmonary TB (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14-1.60) and diagnosis performed due to spontaneous request (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.10-1.46) were associated with MDR-TB. Furthermore, municipalities that performed HIV tests in less than 42.65% of patients with TB (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.25-1.79), that diagnosed TB cases only after death (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.17-1.93) and that had more than 20.16% of their population with income between » and ½ of one minimum wage (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.30-1.87) were also related to the MDR-TB. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of these predictive factors may help to develop more comprehensive disease prevention strategies for MDR-TB, avoiding the risks expressed regarding drug resistance expansion.

OBJECTIF: La tuberculose multirésistante (TB-MDR) reste un grave problème de santé publique dans le monde. Cette étude visait à identifier les facteurs de risque individuels, communautaires et d'accès aux services de santé pour la TB-MDR. MÉTHODES: Analyse de cohorte rétrospective de tous les cas de TB diagnostiqués entre 2006 et 2016 dans l'Etat de São Paulo par analyse bayésienne spatiale à plusieurs niveaux. RÉSULTATS: Les antécédents de traitements antituberculeux (Rapports de cotes [OR]: 13,86, Intervalle de confiance à 95% [IC95%]: 12.06-15.93), un test de culture d'expectorations positif (OR: 5,26, IC95%: 4,44-6,23), le diabète sucré (OR: 2,34, IC95%: 1,87-2,91), la résidence à une adresse standard (OR: 2,62, IC95%: 1,91-3,60), la microscopie à frottis positif (OR: 1,74, IC95%: 1,44-2,12), la TB pulmonaire (OR: 1,35, IC95%: 1,14-1,60) et le diagnostic réalisé en raison d'une demande spontanée (OR: 1,26; IC95%: 1,10-1,46) étaient associés à la TB-MDR. Les municipalités qui ont effectué des tests de dépistage du VIH chez moins de 42,65% des patients atteints de TB (OR: 1,50, IC95%: 1,25-1,79), qui ont diagnostiqué des cas de TB uniquement après le décès (OR: 1,50, IC95%: 1,17-1,93) et qui avaient plus de 20,16% de leur population avec un revenu entre » et ½ d'un salaire minimum (OR: 1,56, IC95%: 1,30-1,87) étaient également associées à la TB-MDR. CONCLUSIONS: La connaissance de ces facteurs prédictifs peut aider à développer des stratégies plus complètes de prévention des maladies pour la TB-MDR, en évitant les risques d'extension de la résistance aux médicaments.