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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 20, Number 3

Tuberculosis in native- and foreign-born populations in Portugal

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BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem, and during the last 20 years, industrialised countries have shown similar patterns in TB notifications: decreasing TB incidence in native populations and increasing incidence in foreign-born populations.

OBJECTIVES: To characterise risk factors associated with TB among native- and foreign-born TB patients in Portugal and identify barriers to the management of foreign cases.

METHODS: Analysis of the data from the national tuberculosis surveillance system and data from an online survey of physicians managing TB cases in the country.

RESULTS: Risk factors in the two populations differed. Foreign-born patients were younger, less likely to use drugs or alcohol and had fewer comorbidities. They were also more likely to be human immunodeficiency virus positive, to be employed and to be homeless/living in shelters. The outcome of the disease and the time to diagnosis were not significantly different between the two populations. The most important barriers to the management of foreign-born TB cases were language and fear of deportation.

CONCLUSIONS: As there are significant differences between the two populations, different TB control strategies should be implemented in the two populations.

Keywords: TB; foreigners; treatment outcomes

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Praça de Gomes Teixeira, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal. [email protected] 2: Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 3: Department of Mathematic, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 4: Department of Mathematic, Faculty of Sciences, and Centre of Mathematics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 5: Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Public Health, and Chest Disease Centre, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Pulmonology, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho EPE, and Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine and Public Health, University of Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal

Publication date: 01 March 2016

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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