| Autor: |
George Antunes, E Lunn, K Young, B Willis, N Clerk |
| Rok vydání: |
2021 |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
TB or not TB, is that the question?. |
| DOI: |
10.1136/thorax-2020-btsabstracts.300 |
| Popis: |
Introduction and Objectives Case finding of active tuberculosis (TB) and screening for latent tuberculosis (LTBI) in high risk individuals are important cornerstones of the UK’s TB control policy. Non-medical university students arriving in the UK from high prevalence TB countries are required to undergo pre-entry active TB screening. There is a scarcity of data available to inform health authorities on this subject and to determine if screening in this group is warranted or cost effective. We assessed the impact of a TB screening programme amongst a non-medical university student population originating from countries with a high TB prevalence. Methods A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted over a 10 year period at university in the North-East of England. Non-medical students from countries with high TB prevalence (≥40/100 000) were identified and invited to participate in the TB screening programme. A Mantoux skin test or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) was performed at initial screening following a symptom and medical history questionnaire. Individuals who tested positive for either test were invited for second consultation, where IGRA testing was performed if the Mantoux test was initially positive, offered HIV and viral hepatitis screening and onward referral to a consultant-led TB clinic for further investigation and management. Results A total of 628 students (72% male) were invited to participate of which 574 (91.4%) underwent initial screening. 59 students declined or were unsuitable to undergo initial or further screening (dropout rate = 9.4%). 78 students (13.5%) attended a second consultation of which 43 (7.5%) were referred onwards to the consultant-led TB clinic for further assessment. No active cases were identified during the study period and 27 students (4.7% of those tested and 63% of those who screened positive) went on to complete treatment for LTBI. Conclusions There was a significant uptake of TB screening and a considerable number of students were diagnosed with LTBI. The cost-effectiveness of such a programme was not directly evaluated. The provision of a targeted TB screening programme in this setting may reduce the burden of disease within the UK and the countries to where most of the students return. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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