Perfil epidemiológico de pacientes com baciloscopia positiva para tuberculose pulmonar* Epidemiological profile of patients with positive sputum smears for pulmonary tuberculosis

SUMMARY BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tuberculosis (TB) is a world widespread illness, as ancient as humanity. An estimated 50 million Brazilians are infected with M. tuberculosis. Epidemiological studies on TB give better comprehension on this pathology behavior and its dynamics of transmission within communities, thus helping estimate the impact of the applied control measures in these settings. This study main goal was to draw an epidemio logical profile of patients with positive bacilloscopy admitted at a public pulmonary TB specialty hospital for treatment. METHOD: 53 reports with information on patients admitted in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) specialty public hospital from January 2005 until December 2008 were analyzed. In order to support this and other studies as well, we conducted a retrospective and descriptive study which analyzed associations between bacilloscopy and variables such as sex, age group, BAAR positivity and reasons for patients’ discharge. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among male and female patients with positive bacilloscopy. The predominant age group of patients with positive bacilloscopy to pulmonary TB was 16 to 31 year-olds with 17 (69.2%) and 15 (55.5%), respectively between males and females. Most of the patients (n = 30; 56.6%) presented BAAR+. In this study, only 71.6 % the patients finished the treatment and got discharged by cure. CONCLUSION: This investigation permits an improved un derstanding of the characteristics of tuberculosis in the study population and enables an indirect evaluation of health service treatment of this disease.