Tuberculosis during COVID-19 pandemic: retrospective analysis in a tertiary hospital in Portugal

Abstract

Setting: Tuberculosis (TB) is a preventable and curable infectious disease with still great impact on public health. Early diagnosis and access to treatment remain critical to tackle its transmission and reduce associated mortality. COVID-19 pandemic led to considerable changes in the dynamics of medical care systems, with yet to fully determine consequences on the global fight against Tuberculosis set by the World Health Organization. Objective and Design: The present retrospective observational study aimed to characterize the clinical and epidemiological diversity of TB patients during pandemic years. Results: Between January 2020 and December 2022, 72 patients were warded and diagnosed with Tuberculosis in a tertiary hospital center in Porto, Portugal. Most were male with a median age of 54 years. Mean time to diagnosis was 95 days since onset of symptoms. Almost one third were immunosuppressed. The majority had pulmonary TB with sputum-smear positive and cavitating disease. Treatment was started on all except one patient and a larger part achieved a favourable clinical outcome. Conclusions: This report allows a perspective on the management of Tuberculosis in admitted patients while an unprecedented health crisis occurred. It paves way for additional studies to fully assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Tuberculosis.