The importance of active surveillance in the detection of tuberculosis patients

Abstract

AimTuberculosis (TB) is one of the earliest and most contagious diseases of history with high morbidity and mortality. Effective surveillance is crucial for disease control. One component of active surveillance is screening of all biopsy reports regarding TB, and reporting them once identified. In this study, pathology reports were evaluated for TB, cases were traced for diagnosis of TB, and contribution of active surveillance on diagnosis was assessed.MethodsThe surveillance unit of our hospital retrospectively evaluated the records of patients with suspected TB in pathology reports in 2016. The patients with a completed TB evaluation were included. They were separated into two groups as the patients diagnosed by Tuberculosis Dispensaries after the notifications of our surveillance team, and the ones diagnosed by the physicians who requested the biopsy evaluations and evaluated the results.ResultsEighty-six patients with TB notification according to pathology reports were evaluated. Tests were completed in 44 (51.2%) of cases. TB diagnosis was excluded in 10 cases; 34 (77.3%) cases were diagnosed with TB. Nineteen cases (56%) were diagnosed after notifications of the surveillance unit. Particularly skin, lymph node, and urinary system TB were the domains in which the notifications of the surveillance team were more efficient.ConclusionSurveillance studies are one parameter of TB control and prevent delays in diagnosis and management. Meticulous maintenance of active surveillance, which has started in 2003 in Ankara and became widespread in all country in 2015, will minimize the number of undiagnosed TB cases.

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