Detection of pulmonary tuberculosis in the republic of Tajikistan
- Hospice & Palliative Medicine International Journal
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Bobokhojaev OI,1 Rasulov EF,2 Abdurakhimov AA1,3
Abstract
Objective: To study the dynamics and main reasons for the significant detection of
pulmonary tuberculosis with a negative sputum test result in the Republic of Tajikistan over
the past 5 years.
Material and methods: An analysis of the estimated data of the WHO, as well as official
statistics on TB incidence using the National TB Data Registry for 2019-2023, was carried
out. Definitions of clinically established cases of pulmonary TB are noted. Information is
presented on the introduction of the express PCR method of bacteriological verification of
TB diagnosis in all regions of the country.
Results: Over the past 5 years (2019-2023), WHO estimates on TB incidence in the
Republic of Tajikistan have significantly decreased, indicating improved accessibility
of the population to specialized anti-TB services. At the same time, during the COVID
period (2019-2020), the prognosis was more unfavorable due to deteriorating accessibility
to medical and social services than in the post-COVID period (2021-2023). At the same
time, official statistics on the detection of new TB cases indicate the opposite dynamics:
during the COVID period, the number of TB patients sharply decreased from 5976 to 4299
cases that is, by 1677 cases (more than 28%) and began to gradually increase in subsequent
years, but has not yet reached the pre-COVID level. At the same time, in proportion to
the indicated data, the number of clinically established cases of pulmonary TB decreased
during the COVID period from 1422 to 720 cases (2019-2021), that is, almost twofold,
and in the following years (2022-2023) began to gradually increase, still not reaching the
pre-COVID period.
Conclusion: Thus, despite the active introduction of new innovative methods for verifying
the diagnosis of TB and improving the population’s access to diagnostic services, including
molecular genetic methods for rapid diagnostics of both sensitive and drug-resistant forms
of TB, the proportion of clinically established cases of pulmonary TB remains high (34% of
all pulmonary forms of TB) and tends to increase.
Keywords
tuberculosis, estimate incidence rate, notification cases, clinical confirmed, bacteriologically confirmed
