Tuberculosis and patient gender: An analysis and its implications in tuberculosis control

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of pulmonary tuberculosis patients with respect to gender and its implications in tuberculosis control. Setting: DOTS center at a tertiary, teaching hospital in South India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken by screening medical records of 446 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Data studied included age, gender, and sputum smear status. Patients with comorbid conditions were excluded. No other data were considered. RESULTS: The male to female ratio in patients of pulmonary tuberculosis was 2:1, which was also maintained when smear positive and smear negative were studied separately. The ratio of smear positive to smear negative patients was statistically significant at 4.4:1. A large proportion of patients (65–68%) were in the young and reproductive age group. Approximately, one-fifth patients were in the geriatric age group. CONCLUSION: The observation that two-thirds of all female smear-positive patients were found in the young and reproductive age group has strong implications in tuberculosis control strategies because of higher chances of mother to child transmission and higher probability of complications because of attendant antenatal and postnatal morbidity. Geriatric patients comprise another significant group because of higher chances of default, complications, inconvenience, and existence of other comorbid conditions.