Browsing by Author "Skodric-Trifunovic, V. (23499690800)"

SETTING: Republic of Serbia, excluding Kosovo. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the clinical and epidemiological pattern of tuberculosis (TB) in Serbia during the period 1990-2004. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of clinical and epidemiological data on TB patients registered in annual TB reports. RESULTS: During the 15-year period, TB incidence levelled off in Serbia. The slightly decreasing trend occurred in both total pulmonary TB (PTB) and laboratory confirmed PTB (PTB+) incidence (P > 0.05), while the trend of extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) incidence increased slightly (P > 0.05). During the same period, TB mortality showed a significantly decreasing trend (P < 0.05). The mean annual proportion of PTB+ cases among newly reported PTB cases was 62.7%. The mean proportion of EPTB cases among total TB cases was 6.1%. The mean percentage of cases with resistance to at least one anti-tuberculosis drug was 4.8%. CONCLUSION: Thanks to the good organisation and efficient work of anti-tuberculosis dispensaries in Serbia, as well as to the low incidence of AIDS and low frequency of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant strains, TB incidence did not increase during the period observed and TB mortality significantly decreased, despite markedly deteriorated socio-economic conditions during the 1990s. © 2007 The Union.

SETTING: Health care workers in the Clinical Center of Serbia. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate tuberculosis (TB) incidence by job category comparing the rates of TB in health care workers (HCWs) working in pulmonary departments, other (non-pulmonary) departments, and in the general population in Serbia. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from 1992 to 2004. Assessment of the relationship between employment in different departments and TB incidence was expressed by relative risk (RR), which was calculated using the annual TB incidence in the population of Serbia as the baseline rate. RESULTS: A total of 24 HCWs developed active TB in the study period. The mean incidence rate was 413.2 per 100000 persons (RR=12.2) for hospital staff in the pulmonary department and 20.3/100000 (RR=0.6) for other departments. Nurses and technicians were at 7.8 times higher risk of developing TB than doctors. The mean working period before the onset of illness was 15.1 years (95%CI 5.1-25.1) for HCWs in pulmonary departments and 8.1 years (95%CI 4.6-11.6) in non-pulmonary departments (P=0.006). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that HCWs were at an increased risk of TB, most likely from nosocomial transmission in high-risk departments. © 2009 The Union.