Setting: An aboriginal community of 653 persons.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and to analyse related factors.
Design: The total population was surveyed; those with chronic productive cough were asked to provide sputum specimens. PTB was diagnosed by bacilloscopy (acid-fast bacilli [AFB]). An analysis of socio-economic factors and clinical history associated with chronic cough or positive smear for PTB was carried out using multiple correspondence analysis and logistic regression models.
Results: Two hundred and two patients were identified with chronic cough and 173 with chronic productive cough. Chronic cough was associated with having a history of PTB (adjusted OR=4.89, 95%CI 2.6-9.4) and with work-related migratory movements (adjusted OR=2.05, 95%CI 1.3-3.3). Of 92 coughers with sputum samples analysed, 44 (47.8%) were PTB-positive, giving a prevalence of 6.7% in the whole population. In the groups aged 15-34 and >or=45 years, women had higher positivity rates than men, whereas in the group aged 35-44 years rates were higher in men. Twenty-seven per cent of families had one to four smear-positive members.
Conclusion: The Tuberculosis Control Programme in the area studied needs to be strengthened, taking into account the ethnic context, work-related migration and the socio-economic and geographic context.