Profile of patients undergoing treatment for tuberculosis in a health unit with a Family Health Care Team

Abstract

Introduction: Brasil is 14th amongst the 20 countries with 80% of tuberculosis cases (TB) in the world, with annual incidence of 46 new cases/100,000 inhabitants. The Health Unit of Divina Providencia Hospital, of SSC/ GHC, is a reference for TB treatment in an area of about 6,000 inhabitants. It’s expected about 6 new cases a year in the population covered by the hospital, considered a historic series and incidence in Porto Alegre, which currently is of 100/100,000. Objective: To describe the profile of TB carriers from USDP, with data on incidence, type of TB, serology for HIV, age, sex and start of treatment. Methods: Review of the registered cases in the USDP archives and review of the patient charts. Results: Between February 2007 and February 2008, 14 new cases of TB were registered in USDP. The ages were among 13 to 67 years, 8 men and 6 women. The average age of men was 38.6 years old and of women was 35.6 years old. Five were HIV positive and one person refused to do the HIV exam. Ten cases were exclusively of pulmonary TB and four cases of extra-pulmonary TB. The 14 cases were treated with E1 (RHZ). Out of the patients treated, 6 were discharged by cure (42%), 1 from abandonment (7%) and 1 death (7%), and 6 were still undergoing treatment by the end of the data collection (46.6%). Conclusion: the high incidence of TB, more than double than expected, in the USDP territory, indicates that these ratios need to be reviewed and compared to other Health Units that act in the same manner. The gathering of new cases through the search of respiratory symptomatics, as well as the vigilance of cases in treatment, is allowing for good detection and cure ratios, with good assent to treatment.