Prevalence of tuberculosis and drug--resistant tuberculosis in tertiary care rural hospital in Gujarat, India: a retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis (TB), the most lethal infectious disease in the world that affects people of all ages. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of TB in the Gujarat state (India). Material and methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Government Medical Hospital (PDUGMH) in Gujarat between 2018 and 2022. Results: A total of 5624 TB notification records were reviewed from the TB & Chest Department of the PDUGMH. 5207 of them reported TB-positive results, majority of which concerned pulmonary TB (57.27%, n = 2982). 3586 (68.87%) of the TB-positive patients were male and 1621 (31.13%) were female. The most group most affected by TB was 15-29 years of age, with a high peak in 2019. Amongst the TB-positive patients, 215 suffered from diabetes and 454 were HIV-positive. Majority of patients with an infected lymph node suffered from extrapulmonary TB. Rifampicin-resistant TB was observed in 0.8% (n = 42) of patients and 3 patients were treated with the longer oral regimen for fluoroquinolone- resistant multi-drug resistant TB (0.1%). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that during 2018-2022, patients treated at PDUGMH had a TB prevalence of 92.59%, with a corresponding rate of multidrug-resistant TB standing at 1.48%. A comprehensive study is required to accurately assess the TB burden in India and to guide national strategies for TB eradication.