Follow-up of chronic coughers improves tuberculosis case finding: results from a community-based cohort study in southern Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Untreated smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) patients are the primary source of infection; however, a large number of TB cases have not been identified and are untreated in many sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia. This study determined whether or not a community-based follow-up of chronic coughers improves detection of TB cases and the risk factors for death among such cases.

Methods

We conducted a census in six rural communities in Sidama, southern Ethiopia. Based on interview and sputum investigation, we identified 724 TB smear-negative chronic coughers, and did a cohort study of these chronic coughers and 1448 neighbourhood controls. For both chronic coughers and neighbourhood controls, we conducted a TB screening interview and performed sputum mic

SUBMITTER: Woldesemayat EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4342215 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature