EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PULMONARY AND EXTRAPULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF BRAZIL FROM 2001 TO 2022

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.3173392323117

• Palavras-chave: Pulmonary Tuberculosis; Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis; Epidemiology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis

• Keywords: Pulmonary Tuberculosis; Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis; Epidemiology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis

• Abstract:

  Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with airborne transmission through inhalation of bacilli expelled by a person with active pulmonary/laryngeal TB. Although only individuals with pulmonary/laryngeal TB (the most common form) can transmit it, it is possible to affect other organs. In 1996, Brazil launched the “Emergency Plan for Tuberculosis Control” and despite the reduction in incidence, it is still considered a public health challenge, particularly in the North Region. Objective: To evaluate records of individuals diagnosed by the pulmonary and extrapulmonary phase of tuberculosis in the Northern Region of Brazil, comparing them to the human development index (HDI). Material and Methods: Cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive, quantitative study, with data from SINAN of individuals with tuberculosis, in the pulmonary and extrapulmonary form, reported in the Northern Region of Brazil between 2001 and 2022. Results: 117,248 people with pulmonary TB were found and 1,036 with extrapulmonary TB, highlighting the states of Amazonas and Pará — with the highest number of cases in both forms. The year with the highest number of pulmonary and extrapulmonary cases was in 2021, with 8,030 (6.8%) and 152 (14.8%) respectively. The lowest for the pulmonary form was 2022, with 4,411 (3.8%) and extrapulmonary in 2001 and 2002 with 4 (0.4%) in both years. 2017 does not have data, however it does not mean an absence of cases. The northern region has an HDI lower than 0.7 (average index), with Pará having the second lowest in the region. Conclusions: Despite the increase in the HDI in several states, the cases in question show patterns of decline and constancy over the years, with an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. TB in the Northern Region has a social nature, remaining an alarming reality in all states and a public health challenge.