THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TUBERCULOSIS IN EL FE RRET (SPAIN)

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to know the frequency of tubercu losis in El Ferrol and to contribute to the knowledge of the situation in Spain. METHODS: A retrospective study of all the cases of tubercul osis diagnosed in the Hospital A Marcide-Novoa Santos (El Ferrol, Spai n) from 1990 to 1993 was performed. RESULTS: Seven hundred twenty-four patients were diagnosed, with a mean annual prevalence of 83.3/100,00 0 inhabitants. Six hundred sixty-four cases (430 males [64.8%]) were e valuated. The mean age was 35.5 +/- 19 years with 58.9% under the age of 35. 98.7% of the patients lived in the health care area and 73.2% w ere admitted, with 13.7% having previous history of tuberculosis, Sixt y-one cases (11.1%; CI: 8.25-13.7) had HIV infection. Diagnosis was mi crobiological in 505 cases (76%), anatomopathological in 60 (9%) and i n 99 (14.9%) diagnosis was achieved by clinical and radiological crite ria. Pulmonary localization (67.2%) was the most frequent form and was predominant in males, while lymph node and osteoarticular localizatio ns were more frequent in women, The incidence of bacilliferous patient s was 30.7/100,000 inhabitants. A delay of more than one month took pl ace in the diagnosis of 66.4% of the bacilliferous patients. CONCLUSIO NS: The incidence of tuberculosis in El Ferrol is very high with an im portant delay in the diagnosis of bacilliferous patients, The high per centage of patients admitted to hospital carries considerable costs in the treatment of the disease.