Tuberculosis e inmigración en un área sanitaria de Madrid. Situación epidemiológica y evolución en la década 1994-2003 / Tuberculosis and immigration in a health sanitary area in Madrid, Spain. Trends in 1994-2003
El objetivo de este estudio es cuantificar el aumento de tuberculosis importada y comparar las características clinicoepidemiológicas entre inmigrantes y autóctonos. Población y
método:
Estudio descriptivo poblacional de casos diagnosticados en Madrid (Área 11, 755.202 habitantes), en el período 1994-2003. La fuente de datos utilizada fue el Registro Regional de Casos de Tuberculosis.
To describe trends and epidemiological characteristics of immigrant and native populations with tuberculosis. Population and
method:
Population-based, descriptive analysis of case data reported to the Regional Registry of Tuberculosis Cases from 1994 to 2003 living in the south of Madrid, Spain (755,202 inhabitants).
Results:
The number of cases reported was 2211, of which 269 (12.1%) were foreign-born persons. Tuberculosis incidence declined from 46.6/100,000 in 1994 (2.9% immigrants) to 25.2/100,000 in 2003 (35.8% immigrants) (p < 0,001). Foreign-born persons with tuberculosis had come to Spain from Latin America-Caribbean (56%), Africa (30%) and Europe (11%). Of the foreign-born, 73.6% developed active tuberculosis within 5 years of arrival (50.9% within 2 years).
Conclusions:
The incidence of tuberculosis has declined in the study area but the tendency to decrease has come to a halt because of cases occurring among immigrants. Among those for whom the date of Spain entry was known, a half arrived 2 years or less prior to the diagnosis of tuberculosis. We stress that tuberculosis control programs must target such at-risk population