For diagnostic purposes of pleural tuberculosis, three pleural fragments are routinely obtained from a single site by needle biopsy. The objective of this study is to compare the diagnostic yield of the routine procedure with two different approaches: harvesting five fragments on a single site (A), and collection of fragments at an additional site (B); from the same cutaneous orifice, the needle was partially removed up to the subcutaneous tissue and redirected at a 45o angle. The authors performed a prospective study in 115 patients submitted to pleural biopsy. The first three pleural fragments were placed in a vial (VA1-3), the 5 subsequent fragments obtained at the same site were placed in a second vial (VA4-8), and the five fragments from the second site were placed in a third vial (VB1-5). Analysis of fragments from VA1-3 revealed granuloma in 72/92 tuberculosis cases (78.3%), whereas in fragments VA5-8 and VB1-5, granuloma was observed in 74/92 cases (80.5%). In 6/92 patients the diagnosis at VA1-3 was non-specific pleuritis, but granuloma was found in VA4-8, resulting in a diagnosis increment of 8.3% (adding six to the 72 patients). In 7/92 patients (7.6%) the histopathological examination at site A led to a non-specific result but granuloma was found at site B, leading to a diagnostic increment of 9.0% (7 to 78 patients). Histological concordance of two examinations by the same pathologist had a kappa index of 0.62 (0.54 to 0.7) whereas concordance between two different pathologists had a kappa index of 0.64 (0.56 to 0.72). The performance of multiple biopsies at two different sites at the pleural surface led to an additional diagnosis of 13 patients, i.e., an increase of 18% (13 to 72) relative to the routine procedure. Considering the low cost increase of obtaining the fragments, adoption of this method is recommended in routine pleural tuberculosis diagnosis.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, pleural tuberculosis, biopsy, diagnosis.

Analysis of treatment outcomes related to the tuberculosis control program in the city of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Análise do programa de controle da tuberculose em relação ao tratamento, em Campinas - SP

Helenice Bosco de Oliveira, Leticia Marin-León, Jovana Gardinali

J Bras Pneumol.2005;31(2):133-138

Background: Tuberculosis cure is dependent upon treatment adherence. Objective: To analyze the results of tuberculosis treatment in public health clinics in the city of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, during 2002. Method: From a cohort of 484 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis, we evaluated 436. Treatment outcomes were described for all patients, whether new patients or patients in retreatment, including those presenting the pulmonary form, with or without acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) comorbidity. Results: The success rate was 68.6% (72.3% among non-AIDS patients and 57.6% among AIDS patients). Among new cases, the non-AIDS group presented a 2.2-times greater chance of presenting favorable results. In the AIDS group, no differences were observed between new patients and those in retreatment. Among the unfavorable outcomes, only lethality presented a difference (18.9% among AIDS patients and 8.0% among non-AIDS patients). In patients presenting the pulmonary form, the success rate was similar between those who were initially acid-fast bacilli positive and those who were not. Conclusion: The tuberculosis control program in Campinas presented low effectiveness. In comparison to the 2001 national cohort, success rates were higher for non-AIDS patients but lower for AIDS patients. The higher success rate among cases of tuberculosis without AIDS was primarily derived from the treatment of new cases. The unfavorable profile of tuberculosis patients co-infected with AIDS, characterized by the (18.9%) lethality and the (15.3%) noncompliance, were partially responsible for the lower success rate seen among such patients. It is notable that such high proportions of noncompliant patients were seen in a city providing easy access to treatment. In order to improve the program, medical teams should receive further training in supervised treatment, health education and techniques for interacting with patients, all of which will require considerable investment.

Keywords: Key words: Tuberculosis. Treatment Refusal. Retreatment. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Comorbidity

Completeness of tuberculosis control program records in the case registry database of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil: analysis of the 2001-2005 period

Completude dos dados do Programa de Controle da Tuberculose no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação no Estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil: uma análise do período de 2001 a 2005

Cláudia Maria Marques Moreira, Ethel Leonor Noia Maciel

J Bras Pneumol.2008;34(4):225-229

Scoring system for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in indigenous children and adolescents under 15 years of age in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Diagnóstico da tuberculose em indígenas menores de quinze anos por meio de um sistema de pontuação em Mato Grosso do Sul

Sandra Christo dos Santos, Ana Maria Campos Marques, Roselene Lopes de Oliveira, Rivaldo Venâncio da Cunha

J Bras Pneumol.2013;39(1):84-91

Who are the patients with tuberculosis who are diagnosed in emergency facilities? An analysis of treatment outcomes in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Quem são os pacientes com tuberculose diagnosticados no pronto-socorro? Uma análise dos desfechos do tratamento no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Otavio Tavares Ranzani1,2,a, Laura Cunha Rodrigues2,b, Eliseu Alves Waldman3,c, Elena Prina1,d, Carlos Roberto Ribeiro Carvalho1,e

J Bras Pneumol.2018;44(2):125-133

Objective: Early tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment are determinants of better outcomes and effective disease control. Although tuberculosis should ideally be managed in a primary care setting, a proportion of patients are diagnosed in emergency facilities (EFs). We sought to describe patient characteristics by place of tuberculosis diagnosis and determine whether the place of diagnosis is associated with treatment outcomes. A secondary objective was to determine whether municipal indicators are associated with the probability of tuberculosis diagnosis in EFs. Methods: We analyzed data from the São Paulo State Tuberculosis Control Program database for the period between January of 2010 and December of 2013. Newly diagnosed patients over 15 years of age with pulmonary, extrapulmonary, or disseminated tuberculosis were included in the study. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used in order to evaluate the association between place of diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Results: Of a total of 50,295 patients, 12,696 (25%) were found to have been diagnosed in EFs. In comparison with the patients who had been diagnosed in an outpatient setting, those who had been diagnosed in EFs were younger and more socially vulnerable. Patients diagnosed in EFs were more likely to have unsuccessful treatment outcomes (adjusted OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.42-1.66), including loss to follow-up and death. At the municipal level, the probability of tuberculosis diagnosis in EFs was associated with low primary care coverage, inequality, and social vulnerability. In some municipalities, more than 50% of the tuberculosis cases were diagnosed in EFs. Conclusions: In the state of São Paulo, one in every four tuberculosis patients is diagnosed in EFs, a diagnosis of tuberculosis in EFs being associated with poor treatment outcomes. At the municipal level, an EF diagnosis of tuberculosis is associated with structural and socioeconomic indicators, indicating areas for improvement.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/diagnosis; Emergency treatment; Treatment outcome; Delivery of health care.

Performance of nested PCR in the specific detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in blood samples of pediatric patients

Desempenho da técnica nested PCR na detecção específica do complexo Mycobacterium tuberculosis em amostras sanguíneas de pacientes pediátricos

Juliana Figueirêdo da Costa Lima, Lílian Maria Lapa Montenegro, Rosana de Albuquerque Montenegro, Marta Maciel Lyra Cabral, Andrea Santos Lima, Frederico Guilherme Coutinho Abath (in memoriam), Haiana Charifker Schindler

J Bras Pneumol.2009;35(7):690-697

Evaluation of surveillance of contacts of new tuberculosis cases in the state of Mato Grosso - Brazil

Avaliação da vigilância de contatos de casos novos de tuberculose no Estado de Mato Grosso - Brasil

Shaiana Vilella Hartwig, Eliane Ignotti, Beatriz Fátima Alves de Oliveira, Hellen Caroline de Oliveira Pereira, João Henrique Scatena

J Bras Pneumol.2008;34(5):298-303

The burden of disease due to tuberculosis in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

A carga de doença por tuberculose no estado de Santa Catarina

J Bras Pneumol.2014;40(1):61-68

Drug resistance profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, 2000-2006

Perfil de resistência de Mycobacterium tuberculosis no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, 2000-2006

Marli Marques, Eunice Atsuko Totumi Cunha, Antonio Ruffino-Netto, Sonia Maria de Oliveira Andrade

J Bras Pneumol.2010;36(2):224-231

Objective: To determine the drug resistance profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, between 2000 and 2006. Methods: Descriptive study of reported tuberculosis cases in the Brazilian Case Registry Database. We included only those cases in which M. tuberculosis culture was positive and sensitivity to drugs (rifampicin, isoniazid, streptomycin and ethambutol) was tested. Löwenstein-Jensen and Ogawa-Kudoh solid media were used for cultures, as was an automated liquid medium system. Sensitivity tests were based on the proportion method. Results: Among the 783 cases evaluated, males predominated (69.7%), as did patients in the 20-49 year age bracket (70%), a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (94.4%) and positive HIV serology (8.6%); 645 (82.4%) were new cases, and 138 (17.6%) had previously been treated. Resistance to at least one drug was found in 143 cases (18.3%). The primary resistance (PR) rate was, respectively, 8.1%, 1.6%, 2.8% and 12.4%, for monoresistance, multidrug resistance (MDR), other patterns of resistance and resistance to at least one drug, whereas the acquired resistance (AR) rate was 14.5%, 20.3%, 10.9% and 45.7%, respectively, and the combined resistance (CR) rate was 9.2%, 4.9%, 4.2% and 18.3%, respectively. In PR, streptomycin was the most common drug, whereas isoniazid was the most common in AR and CR (7.2% and 3.7%, respectively). Conclusions: These high levels of resistance undermine the efforts for tuberculosis control in Mato Grosso do Sul. Acquired MDR was 12.7 times more common than was primary MDR, demonstrating that the previous use of drug therapy is an indicator of resistance. These levels reflect the poor quality of the health care provided to these patients, showing the importance of using the directly observed treatment, short course strategy, as well as the need to perform cultures and sensitivity tests for the early diagnosis of drug resistance.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Drug resistance, multiple; Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Epidemiological aspects of pleural tuberculosis in the state of São Paulo, Brazil (1998-2005)

Aspectos epidemiológicos da tuberculose pleural no estado de São Paulo (1998-2005)

Márcia Seiscento, Francisco Suso Vargas, Maria Josefa Penon Rujula, Sidney Bombarda, David Everson Uip, Vera Maria Nedes Galesi

J Bras Pneumol.2009;35(6):548-554

Characteristics of tuberculosis in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil: 2002-2009

Características da tuberculose no estado de Minas Gerais entre 2002 e 2009

Cláudio José Augusto, Wânia da Silva Carvalho, Alan Douglas Gonçalves, Maria das Graças Braga Ceccato, Silvana Spindola de Miranda

J Bras Pneumol.2013;39(3):357-364

Objective: To analyze the profile of tuberculosis cases reported between 2002 and 2009 in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, according to sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics, as well as to comorbidities and mortality. Methods: This was a descriptive, epidemiological study based on data obtained from the Brazilian Case Registry Database and the Brazilian Mortality Database for the 2002-2009 period. Results: There were 47,285 reported cases of tuberculosis, corresponding to a mean incidence of 22.3/100,000 population. The individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis were predominantly in the 20- to 49-year age bracket and male (62.4% and 67.0%, respectively). Individuals with a low level of education accounted for 18.5% of the cases. New cases, cases of recurrence, and cases of retreatment accounted for 83.7%, 5.7%, 5.7%, respectively. The rates of cure and treatment noncompliance were 66.2% and 11.2%, respectively; multidrug-resistant tuberculosis was identified in 0.2% of the cases; and the mortality rate was 12.9%. The directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) strategy was applied in 21.8% of the cases. Sputum smear microscopy and culture were performed in only 73.9% and 12.9% of the cases, respectively. Chest X-rays were performed in 90.5% of the cases. Pulmonary tuberculosis was the predominant form (in 83.9%). Comorbidity with alcoholism, HIV infection, and diabetes mellitus were identified in 17.2%, 8.3%, and 3.8%, respectively. Conclusions: During the study period, the numbers of new cases, cases of treatment noncompliance, and deaths were high, comorbidities were common, and there was a failure to perform adequately basic tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Multidisciplinary approaches, expanded use of the DOTS strategy, better knowledge of the distribution of tuberculosis, and improvements in the databases are needed in order to achieve better control of the disease in the state of Minas Gerais.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/epidemiology; Tuberculosis/mortality; Information systems.