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Recent epidemiological trends in tuberculous pleural effusion in Galicia, Spain

2012; Elsevier BV; Volume: 23; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ejim.2012.06.014

1879-0828

Luís Valdés, Lucía Ferreiro, Elena Cruz-Ferro, Francisco Javier González‐Barcala, Francisco Gudé, María I. Ursúa, José Manuel Álvarez-Dobaño, Antonio Golpe, María E. Toubes, J. J. Puche Paniagua, J. A. Taboada-Rodríguez, Joan B. Soriano,

Amoebic Infections and Treatments

Objective Knowledge on the distribution and determinants of tuberculous pleural effusions (TBPE) is incomplete. We aimed to describe the epidemiological trends and individual characteristics of TBPE in Galicia, Spain, over a 10-year period (2000–2009). Design A retrospective, observational study based on epidemiological data obtained from the Galician Tuberculosis Register. Results There were 1835 cases of TBPE (16.3% of the total 11,241 TB cases reported). The number and incidence of TBPE decreased significantly during the study period, from (262 and 9.6/100,000 inhabitants in 2000, to 133 and 4.8 in 2009, respectively; P<.001 for both). The mean annual decrease in TBPE incidence was 6.9%, and 50% overall. TBPE mainly affected males (63.5%), precisely 61.2% young males between 15 and 44 years. Twenty-five percent had lung involvement (chest X-ray), and 41.7% had a positive sputum culture. A significant increase (P<.001) was observed during the study in the percentage of patients who had more TB risk factors. Conclusions The incidence of TBPE decreased significantly during the study period, with no changes in epidemiological characteristics, and with trends similar to the total number of TB cases. The introduction of the Galician Prevention and Control Plan (GPCP) for tuberculosis appears to be effective for better control of TB.