Tuberculosis in an urban hospital setting: Descriptive epidemiology among patients at Kenyatta National Hospital TB clinic, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

BackgroundThe prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in low-to-middle-income countries is larger than that observed in developed countries. This study aimed to characterize TB disease among patients diagnosed at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi, Kenya, for public health action. MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study at KNH TB clinic from January to December 2015. Data were extracted from TB clinic in- and out-patient registers, entered into MS-Excel, and descriptive and associative statistics were calculated with Open-Epi software. ResultsA total of 1,551 TB cases were identified, with mean age of 31.5 ± 16.5 years, and 771 (49.7%) were < 32 years old. Bivariate analyses showed significant associations between younger age (<32 years) and being hospitalized for the infection (OR 8.18, 95% CI 6.47–10.38, p < 0.0001) and being diagnosed by sputum microscopy (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.39–3.25, p = 0.0005). ConclusionYounger patients were more likely to be diagnosed at a sicker stage of disease than their older counterparts and to be hospitalized as a result. This calls for intensified TB case finding among younger patients by use of more rapid TB tests to diagnose TB earlier.