@article {Gaspar4894, author = {Carina Gaspar and Carlos Gomes and Nelson Diogo}, title = {Impact of African immigration on drug resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Portugal}, volume = {38}, number = {Suppl 55}, elocation-id = {4894}, year = {2011}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Background: Several works pointed immigration as a risk factor for drug resistance in Western countries. In Portugal immigration is responsible for 13,6\% of tuberculosis cases, 75\% of those cases being originated from Sub-Saharan African countries.Aim: To evaluate the role of immigration from African countries in drug resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) in Portugal.Methods: Comparative retrospective study between African immigrants (I) and native (N) patients with positive-culture to Mt and who realized susceptibility tests, admitted in a Pneumology unit from 2000 to 2010. Clinical-demographic characteristics, aetiopathogenic factors, drug resistance profiles and inhospital outcomes were evaluated.Results: 1328 patients were enrolled, 240 (18,1\%) being immigrants, most of them from Portuguese spoken countries. Statistically significant differences were found on the following variables: drug addition (I:6,7\% vs N:28,8\%); WHO classification; number of previous treatments (I:0,21 vs N:0,37); duration of previous treatments (I:0,88 vs N:1,83); inhospital mortality (I:4,2\% vs N:8,5\%).The variables with predictive value for resistance in this population were HIV co-infection, number of previous treatments and chronic TB infection.The total incidence of drug resistance was similar in both groups (I:20,8\% vs N:21,0\%), but secondary resistances were less frequent in immigrants (I:5,4\% vs N:9,7\%).Conclusion: African immigration was not associated with increased prevalence of drug resistance to Mt. These findings can be explained by the reduced access to antituberculosis drugs in Sub-Saharan countries.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/4894}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }