TITLE:
A Study of Socio-Economic Status (SES) Associated with Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in General Population of District Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan
AUTHORS:
Jehangir Khan, Fatima Aslam, Bakht Tarin Khan, Syyed Ishtiaq Anjum, Faiz-Ur Rehman, Waqas Ahmad Shams, Zaheer Ahmad
KEYWORDS:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Epidemiology, SES, TB Centers, Buner
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.2 No.5,
May
5,
2015
ABSTRACT: Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Pakistan ranking fifth
amongst the twenty two endemic countries. Historically, TB has been associated
with poverty and low socioeconomic status (SES). This study focuses on the
association of SES with prevalence of TB in general population of district Buner,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey
was conducted in Government and Private health care centers during 2010-2013 in
district Buner, KPK. TB rates were calculated in relation to SES. Result: The
data analysis resulted in 1079 positive cases consisting male (n = 445, 41.24%)
and female n = (634); 58.8%. The highest occurrence of TB (306/1079: 28.4%) was
observed in the group 15 - 45 years followed by the group below 15 years
(85/1079:7.9%) in males. The female group in range of 15 - 45 years (251/1079:
23.3%) had maximum TB followed by the group above 45 years (235/1079: 21.8%).
The male patients with no education were more in number (152/445: 34.16%) to TB
infection as compared to patients with primary (124/445: 27.9%), secondary
(111/445: 34.16%) and higher education (58/ 445: 13%). Likewise the highly
qualified female patients suffered only 3.5% from TB where as those having no
education had maximum infection (49%) followed by primary educated (37.85%)
patients. The minimum number of patients (300/1079: 27.8%) suffering from TB
were reported in high income family followed by middle (325/1079: 30%) and low
income (454/1079: 42%) families. The maximum incidence of TB (320/1079: 28.7%)
was found in 2010 followed by 2011 (289/1079: 26.8%), 2012 (268/1079: 24.7%)
and 2013 (213/1079: 19.7%) respectively. Conclusions: This result shows that
there is deep association between the TB infection and the SES among the
public. High infection rates of TB in district Buner may reflect ignorance, no
early medical care, poor hygiene, poor nutritional status, economic
depressions, lack of proper health facility and knowledge regarding the
treatment. Screening for TB (to diagnose latent TB infection), education and
good SES remain the most important tools to reduce the risk of TB progression
among the general populations in a region.