Influence of Covid-19 for delaying the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis–Tianjin, China

Bibliographic Data

ID22073018
AuthorsGuoqin Zhang (0000-0001-8847-1752, Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province), Yanming Yu (Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province), Wenqian Zhang (0000-0002-2901-4743, Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province), Jian Shang (0000-0001-5135-6574, Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province), Shengyu Chen (0009-0006-9576-9841, Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province), Xuewen Pang, Pang Xuewen (Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province), John E Oeltmann (0000-0002-9728-8746, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Patrick K Moonan (0000-0002-3550-2065, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Ming-Ting Chen (Chinese Center For Disease Control and Prevention, corresponding author), Mingting Chen, Fan Zhang (0000-0002-3643-018X, Center for Tuberculosis Control of Guangdong Province, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume10
Pages937844-937844
Publication date2022-12-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2022.937844
PMID36530737
OpenAlexW4311193979
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited28

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the diagnosis, treatment, and care for tuberculosis (TB). Delays in seeking TB care may result in increased community transmission and unfavorable treatment outcomes. We sought to understand the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of patients with TB who delayed seeking the diagnosis and care for TB and explore the reasons for their postponement. Methods: We surveyed a representative sample of outpatients treated for pulmonary TB from June to November 2020 using an anonymous standardized questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of factors associated with the postponement of TB care. We used routinely collected surveillance data to assess trends of TB reports before and after the emergence of COVID-19 (2017-2019 vs. 2020-2022) in Tianjin, China. Results: Among 358 participants who were diagnosed with pulmonary TB during the COVID-19 response, 61 (17%) postponed seeking TB diagnosis due to COVID-19, with 39 (64%) citing fear as the primary reason. Female sex (aOR:2.0; 95% CI: 1.1-3.7), previous antituberculosis treatment (aOR:3.2; 95%CI: 1.4-7.6), and TB diagnosis during the first-level response (aOR = 3.2, 1.7-6.2) were associated with the postponement. Among all 518 participants receiving antituberculosis treatment, 57 (11%) had postponed their regular healthcare visits due to COVID-19, 175 (34%) received no treatment supervision, and 32 (6%) experienced treatment interruption. Compared to 2017-2019, reported pulmonary TB declined by 36.8% during the first-level response to COVID-19, 23.5% during the second-level response, 14% during the third-level response in 2020, and 4.3% in 2021. Conclusion: may facilitate finding cases

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Betacoronavirus · China · Disease · Geography · Intensive care medicine · Outbreak · Pathology · Pneumonia · Pulmonary tuberculosis · Tuberculosis · Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis · Immune responses and vaccinations · Medicine · Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology · Internal Medicine · Virology