Objective: To identify factors associated with mortality in indigenous populations diagnosed with tuberculosis in Peru, 2015-2019.
Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study in a retrospective cohort using the registry of indigenous peoples of the National Health Strategy for TB Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health of Peru. A descriptive analysis was performed, and then bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between the variables and the outcome (alive-deceased). The results are shown as OR with their respective 95% confidence intervals.
Results: The mortality rate of the total indigenous population of Peru was 1.75 deaths per 100,000 indigenous people diagnosed with TB. The community of Kukama Kukamiria-Yagua reported 505 (28.48%) individuals, followed by the Shipibo-Konibo community with 385. The final logistic model showed that indigenous males (OR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.001-3.7) with a history of HIV prior to TB (OR = 16.7; 95% CI: 4.7-58.7), and indigenous people in old age (OR = 2.95; 95% CI: 1.5-5.7) were factors associated with a greater chance of dying from TB.
Conclusions: It is important to reorient health services among indigenous populations, especially those related to improving a timely diagnosis and early treatment of TB/HIV co-infection, to ensure comprehensive care for this population considering that they are vulnerable groups.
Keywords: indigenous; logistic regression; mortality; tuberculosis.