[Clinicoepidemiologic study of tuberculosis in the Ferrol area (1990-1991)]

To know about the main characteristics of tuberculous disease in our county.

A two-year period (1990-91), retrospective survey of the patients diagnosed of tuberculosis at a hospital from the north of La Coruña (Spain) was performed. A total of 322 cases were found, 165 diagnosed at the hospital and the remaining cases at the clinic. In the latter group, microbiological findings were the only diagnostic criteria considered. On the hospital-diagnosed cases three diagnostic categories were established: 1) definite; 2) probable, and 3) clinical diagnosis.

The 1991 annual rate was 73.8 cases/100.000 inhabitants and the estimate rate was 80 cases/100.000. On analysis of the hospital-based diagnosed subgroup (165 patients), there was a male predominance (112/165), mean age was 35 years and 75% of patients were 44-year-old or younger. The most common clinical presentation was pulmonary (94 cases), pleural (33 cases) and pleuro-pulmonary disease (18 cases). Nine patients had concurrent infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. There was a culture-proven diagnosis of infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis on 117/165 cases. A total of 115 cases (69.7%) received a three-drugs, 9 months therapy. The clinical outcome was fully satisfactory in 79/101 patients (78.2%) with a follow-up longer than 6 months. Only in one case there was a tuberculosis-related death.

The high incidence rate, as well as age distribution and the frequency of pleural disease suggest a high tuberculous endemy at our region, over the rates from other parts of Spain.