Screening for pulmonary tuberculosis using the digital mobile X-ray among risk groups in Sisaket province, Thailand

Abstract

Active case finding of tuberculosis is the most important for reducing delayed diagnosis, treatment and the spread of TB in the community. Therefore, the finding new TB cases in Sisaket Province is less than the criterions gold standard of the Ministry of Public Health. A descriptive-cross-sectional study enrolled 13,309 participants in the program of TB-Clinic and Case Management (TBCM Thailand) during October 2017 to March 2018. All participants were interviewed with the TB verbal screening form, sputum test, and chest X-ray. The descriptive statistics was used to analyze the outcome of TB screening with presenting in term of frequency, percentage, and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results from this study shown that the high-risk groups were received screening included: elderly group, public health personnel who take care of TB patients, diabetes mellitus patients, close contact TB cases and prisoners were 22.71%, 19.29%, 11.94, 11.52%, and 8.32 respectively. Of these 37.35% (95% CI: 36.53-38.17) of them were likely suspected TB cases by using the TB verbal screening form and 8.93% (95% CI: 8.45-9.42) had abnormal chest X-ray and consistent with pulmonary tuberculosis. The 1,399 participants were received a sputum smear test and 48 of them had a sputum smear-positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). Finally, we found 11 case of TB latent phrase treatment and 84 cases registered the pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) (0.63%, 95% CI: 0.50-0.78). Most of new PTB cases were elderly, HIV, Close contract TB case, and DM were found 29 (34.52%), 22 (26.19%) และ 12 (14.29%), respectively. The result suggested that using the digital mobile X-ray for TB screening may increase the efficacy of finding new TB patients. Thus, improving the quality of active case finding screening, the digital mobile X-ray should be added for reducing delayed diagnosis, treatment, and the spread of TB in the community.