Effect of Diagnostic and Treatment Delay on the Risk of Tuberculosis Transmission in Shenzhen, China: An Observational Cohort Study, 1993–2010

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067516
• Publication Date: 2013-06-27T21:11:20Z
• Authors: Shiming Cheng; Wei Chen; Yingzhou Yang; Ping Chu; Xiaoli Liu; Meigui Zhao; Weiguo Tan; Li Xu; Qingfang Wu; Hongyun Guan; Jinhong Liu; Haitao Liu; Ray Y. Chen; Zhongwei Jia
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Retrospective cohort study; China; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Delayed Diagnosis; Adolescent; Epidemiology; Science; Antitubercular Agents; FOS: Health sciences; Diagnosis and Management of Abdominal Tuberculosis; 03 medical and health sciences; Engineering; 0302 clinical medicine; Risk Factors; Observational study; Health Sciences; Pathology; Humans; Tuberculosis; Child; Internal medicine; Management and Epidemiology of Pneumonia; Aged; Retrospective Studies; Q; Pulmonary tuberculosis; R; Age Factors; Infant, Newborn; Sputum; Cohort; Infant; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Middle Aged; Transmission (telecommunications); 3. Good health; Treatment; Infectious Diseases; Child, Preschool; Electrical engineering; Medicine; Female; Surgery; Cohort study; Research Article

To understand better the risk of tuberculosis transmission with increasing delay in treatment, we undertook a retrospective cohort study Shenzhen, China.All pulmonary cases Shenzhen surveillance database from 1993-2010 were included. Sputum smear positivity and presence cavity used as proxies for transmission.Among 48,441pulmonary cases, 70% presented symptoms TB, 62% sputum positive, 21% had on chest x-ray. 95.3% patients self-presented evaluation illness after median 58 days began. The proportion presenting positive (p<0.001) increased significantly duration delay.Delayed diagnosis treatment is associated cavity. decrease transmission, needs to be reduced further.