Tuberculosis infection in patients with mental illness

Carla Cailane Cenci Silva, Rafaele Oliveira Bonfim, Nathalia Halax Orfão

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) and mental illness are health concerns due to the increase in the number of cases. This article sought to analyze tuberculosis infection in patients with mental illnesses in Rondônia. Observational, descriptive and quantitative study of cases diagnosed with TB in Rondônia and notified in the Notifiable Diseases Information System between 2015 and 2022. A survey of clinical variables was carried out and monitored, which were analyzed using Statistica software, version 13.5.0.17, after complying with ethical precepts, according to opinion 6.652.601. An increase in TB cases diagnosed among mentally ill patients was observed in 2022, with the notifications occurring in Primary Health Care (PHC), new cases, pulmonary form, had associated diseases and conditions, used illicit drugs and/or smoked. They had positive sputum smear microscopy, chest X-ray suspicious, and other diagnostic tests not performed or blank. They were HIV negative, remained followed up in PHC, without the directly observed treatment regimen, and had a low cure rate with an average treatment time of 183 days (sd=±92.7). It is possible to identify the similarity between TB cases among mental patients and the general population, as the leading role of PHC in diagnosing and monitoring cases, even if they present unfavorable outcomes.

Published
2024-12-04