Delays in Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dushanbe Tajikistan 2022

Задержки в диагностике и лечении у больных туберкулезом легких в период пандемии COVID-19 в г. Душанбе, Таджикистан, 2022
Sharifov R.N. Nabirova D.A. Tilloeva Z.K.H. Hort R. Zikriyarova S.M. Dzhafarov N.D.Z.H. Yusufi S.D.Z.H.
2023 New Terra Publishing House

Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases
2023 #101 Issue 5 6 - 13 pp.

The objective: to study delays in provision of medical care to pulmonary tuberculosis patients above 15 years old with laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Subjects and Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted among new pulmonary tuberculosis patients above 15 years old with laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis registered by TB Control Centers in Dushanbe in 2019–2021. Information was collected from medical records, medical databases, and patient questionnaires. Two types of delays were detected during the provision of medical care: delays related to the patient (defined as >14 days between onset of tuberculosis symptoms and the first visit to a health unit); delays related to health system (defined as >3 days from the first visit to TB unit to the initiation of tuberculosis treatment). Results. Of the 472 patients enrolled in the study, 276 were registered during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021) and 196 patients were registered before the pandemic (2019). Frequency of delays was similar (83% vs 82%, p=0.8) during and before the COVID-19 pandemic. The frequency of delay related to health system was statistically significantly lower during the pandemic versus the period before the pandemic (34% vs 44%, p=0.023). The median duration of delays associated to the patient before the pandemic (60 days, IQR: 15–541) and during the pandemic (60 days, IQR: 15–360, р=0.6) was also similar as well as delays related to health system (before the pandemic – 7 days, IQR: 4–336) and during the pandemic (7 days, IQR: 4–225, р=0.6). Conclusion. Contrary to the expected result, no significant difference in delays related to the patient before and during the pandemic was found, and the frequency of delay related to health system during the pandemic significantly reduced compared to the period before the pandemic.

COVID-19 , delays in medical care provision , HIV infection , pulmonary tuberculosis , Tajikistan

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Kazakh National Medical University Named after S.D. Asfendiyarov, Almaty, Kazakhstan
City Disinfection Station, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Field Epidemiology Training Program, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Kazakh National Medical University Named after S.D. Asfendiyarov
City Disinfection Station
Field Epidemiology Training Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Central Asia
Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan

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