The pathway of tuberculosis in Argentina: Historical (19th and 20th centuries), epidemiological, and paleopathological data

Abstract

ObjectiveThis paper explores the history of TB in Argentina from the pre- Columbian period to recent times in order to evaluate the impact of the industrialization (late 19th and early 20th centuries) on the increasing rates of this disease. MaterialsHistorical, paleopathological, and current epidemiological data were reviewed. MethodsData were integrated under a paleopathological approach. ResultsSkeletal evidence suggests the existence of TB before colonization. This is followed by two different periods of increasing TB rates: a probable but unconfirmed first stage, related to the contact between Europeans and natives during the 16th-18th centuries, and a second stage during the Industrial Revolution, from the 1880s to the 1950s, when it was finally controlled with the aid of chemotherapies. ConclusionsTB rates increased during industrialization, coincident and probably related to immigration, the disorganized growth of cities, and bad working conditions. Nowadays, TB is under control in the general population, but it remains an important health problem in areas with poor living conditions and in immunocompromised patients. SignificanceThis is the first study that integrates archaeological, historical and epidemiological data to acknowledge the pathway of TB in Argentina. LimitationsNo skeletal evidence of TB from 19th and 20th centuries and from medical archives from sanatoria are available. Suggestions for further researchFurther research needs to be conducted from these records, in order to improve the current knowledge of TB during the industrialization period in Argentina.