Abstract

Objectives: The objective of the current study was to determine the epidemiology and characteristics of tuberculosis in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia during 2005-2014.

Patients and methods: Retrospective observational descriptive study of data obtained from the Tuberculosis Information System. All medical records of tuberculosis patients registered during the study period were reviewed after obtaining the ethical approval. The data were collected by a checklist and analyzed by SPSS.

Results:Total TB reported incidence decreased from 8:100,000 to 6:100,000 populations between 2005 and 2014. The reported incidence of the disease was higher (32.8%) among the age group(25 and 34) years.The female gender was mostly affected (52.8%) compared to males. Extrapulmonary and new TB cases were (67.2%) and (98.5%) respectively. Twenty-two patients (32.8%) were tested for HIV/AIDS and all of them were negative. Regarding treatment outcome, ten patients (14.9%) cured, 34(50.7%) completed treatment, 15 (22.4%) transferred and 4 (6%) defaulted; the death ratio was 6%.

Conclusion: Tuberculosis reported incidence declined in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia during 2005 and 2014: however the disease reported incidence increased among the expatriates compared to Saudi population. During the study period, tuberculosis was more common among females, younger age groups, illiterates and married population.

Key words: Tuberculosis trends; incidence; retrospective study