ABSTRACT
Background: Tuberculosis affects all socio-economic persons and has an enormous economic impact on many countries. India accounts for a quarter of the global burden of tuberculosis. It is a chronic stigmatized public health and social challenge in almost all communities of the developing countries. The aim of the present study was to assess the socio-demographic characteristics of tuberculosis patients in urban area and their relation with current tuberculosis epidemiological situation.Methods: A retrospective type of study was conducted from July, 2010 to September, 2010 in tuberculosis units and data was collected from tuberculosis registers and all patients were interviewed with their consent. All collected data were transferred in a computer and analyzed using Excel worksheet. Tuberculosis patients were not on directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) regime and not gave consent, excluded for the study.Results: In our study, total of 363 tuberculosis patients interviewed in which maximum number i.e., 90 (24.79%) of the study population belonged to the age group 26-35 years, 216 (59.51%) were male, 195 (53.72%) were from urban population, 269 (74.1%) Hindu by religion, 278 (76.58%) married, 139 (38.29%) illiterate, 126 (34.71%) unemployed, 122 (33.61%) belonged to socioeconomic class V, 202 (55.65%) were from nuclear families. 262 (72.18%) patients had pulmonary tuberculosis and 101 (27.82%) had extra-pulmonary tuberculosis Majority of patients 264 (67.77%) were in category-I followed by 81 (22.7%) in category II. And 36 (9.92%) patients were being treated as category-III.Conclusions: It has a dreadful impact on the economic wellbeing of individual, their families and the entire community.