RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis in Croatia
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P4690
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Anamarija Jurcev- Savicevic
A1 Rosanda Mulic
A1 Bozica Ban
A1 Karlo Kozul
A1 Ljiljana Bacun-Ivcek
A1 Jasna Valic
A1 Gordana Popijac-Cesar
A1 Snjezana Marinovic-Dunatov
A1 Dinko Puntaric
A1 Aleksandar Simunovic
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P4690.abstract
AB Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is necessary but not a sufficient cause of tuberculosis. Various risk factors for tuberculosis development have been identified.Aim and objectives: To evaluate potential demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural and biological risk factors for tuberculosis in Croatia, a country with an intermediate burden.Methods: A total of 300 adult patients with culture-confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis were matched for age, sex and county of residence to 300 controls randomly selected from general population. They were interviewed for variables broadly described potential risk factors.Results: In multiple logistic regression parents born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (OR= 3.90, 95%CI 2.01-7.58), the lowest level of education (OR=3.44, 95%CI 1.39-8.50), poor household equipment (OR= 4.72, 95%CI 1.51-14.76), unemployment (OR= 2.69, 95%CI 1.18-6.16), the contact with tuberculosis (OR=2.19, 95%CI 1.27-3.77), former (OR=2.27, 95%CI 1.19-4.33) and current smoking habits (OR=2.35, 95%CI 1.27-4.36), diabetes (OR=2.38, 95%CI 1.05-5.38), a malignant disease (OR=5.79, 95%CI 1.49-22.42), underweight in the previous year (OR=13.57, 95%CI 1.21-152.38) were significant.Conclusion: In our study, the identified risk groups for tuberculosis reflect the complex interaction between socioeconomic conditions, life-style and non-communicable diseases. Tuberculosis control in Croatia would benefit from the combination of broad public health activities aimed at prevention and the control of risky lifestyles and non-communicable diseases, interventions outside the health sector to combat poverty and efforts to constantly improve Croatian national tuberculosis programme.