Epidemiology and Survival of the Patients with Tuberculosis Covered by the Zabol Tuberculosis Center from 2006 to 2014

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) primarily targets the lungs and stands as the leading cause of death globally among diseases caused by a single agent. It is estimated that one-third of the world›s population is infected with TB. This study was undertaken due to the significant presence and incidence of TB in Zabol, an endemic city in Iran. Methods: We examined patient records (n=4092) spanning from 2006 to 2014, analyzing the data using SPSS. The Kaplan-Meier model was employed to assess patient survival rates, the Cox regression model helped identify factors affecting survival and mortality, and the classic Mantel-Haenszel method was utilized to calculate the mortality rate. Results: The patients’ mean age was 53.97 years, with a standard deviation of 20.55. Females comprised 59.78% of the study population, and 84.93% of the TB cases were pulmonary. Furthermore, 89.85% of the patients underwent successful treatment. Throughout the study period, there were 240 recorded deaths among TB patients. The average survival duration for patients was 2638 days, with a five-year survival rate of 75%. An increase in age every 10 years significantly raised the risk of death among TB patients (P<0.05). However, no significant impact on patient survival was observed in relation to other variables, such as gender, history of recurrence, treatment delay, place of conflict, residency, and nationality. Conclusion: The findings of this study can provide useful information so that planners and health officials can take effective measures with appropriate interventions in order to diagnose the disease faster and follow up with appropriate treatment.