Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Northeast of Iran: A Population-Based Study

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is currently one of the greatestproblems in public health. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infectsabout one third of the world's population, of whom more than80% are living in developing countries. The incidence andprevalence of TB are very different in various parts of Iran andalso throughout the world. Golestan province is one of the areasin the country where the risk of TB is the highest because of itsethnically varied population and special location. We aimed todescribe the prevalence of TB and related demographic data inGolestan province (northeast of Iran).Methods: We collected all data of patients with TB who registeredin 2005 and 2006 in each of the 11 districts of Golestanprovince. Data were entered into the computer databaseand age-specific incidence rates per 100 000 populationwere calculated.Results: There were 321 new smear-positive cases. The incidenceand prevalence of TB were 20.88 and 38.15 per 100 000population, respectively. The male to female ratio was 0.96.Relapse of TB was reported in 20 patients. We found 141cases of extrapulmonary TB, with a significant predominancein women. The organ most frequently involved in extrapulmonaryTB was the lymph nodes. Generally, smear-negativeTB was more common in men and extrapulmonary TB wasmore common in women.Conclusion: The incidence and prevalence of TB were higherin Golestan province in comparison with other provinces inIran. We suggest using improved screening strategies and bettereducation about TB for high-risk groups and physicians