Socio‐Demographic Profile of Tuberculosis Patient: A Hospital Based Study at Dehradun

Abstract

Background: In healthy people infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis often causes no symptoms since the person’s immune system acts to “wall off” the bacteria. The common symptoms of active TB of the lung are coughing, sometimes with sputum or blood, chest pain, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. If left untreated, each person with active TB disease will infect on an average between 10 and 15 people every year and this continues the transmission of Tuberculosis. So to understand these factors study was carried out about socio-demographic profile of patients attending DOTS Microscopy Centre (DMC).

Methodology: Present study was done at DOTS Microscopy Centre (DMC) of HIMS Hospital Dehradun and 362 patients of age 18 years and above with cough that has persisted for more than 2 weeks was taken for study purpose.

Results: Sputum positivity was maximum in age group 20-39 years i.e.(39.0 %)more among males i.e. 39.8% Specially Hindus i.e. (40.1%). Majority of the study subjects i.e. 52.5% belong to joint family, with family size more than 10 members (44.5%). Sputum positivity was more amongst subjects who were in Government job i.e. 41.1%. Sputum positivity was maximum in lower socioeconomic class (B.G.Prasad).i.e. 37.3%. The sputum positive results were observed maximum in subjects with presenting complaints of cough with anorexia and weight loss i.e. 41%.

Conclusion: An improvement in living conditions, education, socioeconomic status and sanitation is desirable to curtail down the prevalence of tuberculosis.