Ruiz-Bastián M, Díaz-Pollán B, Falces-Romero I, Toro-Rueda C, García-Rodríguez J. Impact on tuberculosis diagnostic during COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital.
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed) 2024;
42:135-139. [PMID:
36737366 PMCID:
PMC9890387 DOI:
10.1016/j.eimce.2022.11.020]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study is to review how did the first three COVID-19 waves affected the diagnostic of tuberculosis and to describe the extra-pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (TB) diagnosis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective observational study was done during the first three waves of pandemic to ascertain the impact on TB samples and to recover the extra-pulmonary TB cases we included the first two years of COVID-19. All relevant data was recovered from hospital and Clinical Microbiology records.
RESULTS
Prepandemic period showed an average of 44 samples per week for TB study; during the first three waves this number dropped to 23.1 per week. A reduction of 67.7% of pulmonary TB diagnosis was observed and an increase of 33.3% diagnosis of extra-pulmonary TB was noted when comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic period.
DISCUSSION
The number of declared cases and samples for TB diagnosis dropped during the first three COVID-19 waves due to the overstretched Public Health System which could lead to a delay in diagnosis, treatment and to the spread of TB disease in the general population. Surveillance programs should be reinforced to avoid this.
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