Tuberculosis and gender in a priority city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Autor: Belo MT; Gama Filho University and Souza Marques Techno-Educational Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. mtbelo@uol.com.br, Luiz RR, Hanson C, Selig L, Teixeira EG, Chalfoun T, Trajman A
Jazyk: English; Portuguese
Zdroj: Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia : publicacao oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisilogia [J Bras Pneumol] 2010 Sep-Oct; Vol. 36 (5), pp. 621-5.
DOI: 10.1590/s1806-37132010000500015
Abstrakt: The objective of this study was to compare gender differences among tuberculosis patients in a city with a high incidence of tuberculosis. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study involving 560 tuberculosis patients (373 males and 187 females). Sociodemographic and clinical data, as well as data related to diagnostic criteria and treatment outcome, were collected (from the questionnaires and medical records) and subsequently compared between the genders. The median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 90 days. There were no differences between the genders regarding the clinical presentation, diagnostic criteria, previous noncompliance with treatment, time from symptom onset, number of medical appointments prior to diagnosis, or treatment outcome. Gender-specific approaches are not a priority in Brazil. However, regardless of patient gender, the delay in diagnosis is a major concern.
Databáze: MEDLINE