Characteristics of the tuberculosis screening methods

Abstract

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) screening can greatly benefit global humanity by reducing TB prevalence and preventing new TB cases, particularly in low-and middle-income countries with a high TB incidence, where a significant proportion of patients remain undiagnosed or present late for medical care. Objective(s). Retrospective evaluation of effective detection pathways and diagnostic screening methods applied in tuberculosis screening among patients diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Materials and methods. A retrospective, observational, and analytical study was conducted on a cohort of 354 patients with active tuberculosis (new cases) admitted to the departments of the Municipal Clinical Pneumophthisiology Hospital in Chișinău in 2023. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess the statistical significance of data obtained from medical records. Results. A predominance of males was observed (65.8%), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.93. Patients aged 25–54 years accounted for 62.4%, and 80.8% were from rural areas (10.7% homeless). TB contact reported in 19.2%, labor migrants comprised 6.2%, and 5.4% had incarceration. Passive case finding through symptom examination identified 75.1%, while 13.3% presented directly to hospital. Systematic screening and imaging detected 24.9%. Tuberculin skin test in children was positive in 9.6%. Microscopy positive in 28.8%, Xpert MTB/RIF positive in 46.6%, with rifampicin resistance detected in 11.6%. HIV markers positive in 11.6% of patients. Conclusion(s). Systematic tuberculosis screening is essential for early diagnosis and treatment, having a positive impact on disease transmission compared to passive case finding. The study demonstrated that it is limited and supports the need for more intensive testing and examination of high-risk groups.