Gender-related factors associated with delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Turusbekova N. Celan C. Caraulan L. Rucsineanu O. Jibuti M. Ibragimova O. Saidova N.
December 2022 BioMed Central Ltd

BMC Public Health
2022 #22 Issue 1

Tuberculosis (TB), a preventable and treatable disease, yearly affects millions of people and takes more than a million lives. Recognizing the symptoms and obtaining the correct diagnosis are vital steps towards treatment and cure. How timely a person with TB gets diagnosed may be influenced by biological differences between the sexes, and factors that are linked to the person’s gender, in the context of the prevailing gender norms. According to our hypothesis, gender-related factors contribute to delays in the diagnosis of TB. We investigated four countries (Georgia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, and Tajikistan) of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) - a region with a high burden of drug-resistant TB, scarcity of gender-related TB information, and varying gender equality. Retrospective information was collected directly from the people with a history of TB - through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. We did not find differences between genders in the way participants recognized TB symptoms. In three countries women de-prioritized seeking diagnosis because of their lack of access to finances, and household-related obligations. In all four countries, men, traditionally carrying the weight of economically supporting the family, tended to postpone TB diagnosis. In two countries women experienced stigma more often than men, and it was a deterrent factor to seeking healthcare. The role of gender in obtaining the correct diagnosis came forth only among the respondents from Georgia and to some extent from Kazakhstan. We conclude that there are barriers to health care seeking and TB diagnosis that affect differently women, men and gender-diverse persons in EECA Region.

Diagnosis , Gender , Tuberculosis

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TBC Consult, Antwerp, Belgium
Center for Health Policies and Studies (PAS Center), Crisinau, Moldova
Crisinau, Moldova
NGO SMIT, Balti, Moldova
New Vector, Tbilisi, Georgia
ALE: Kazakhstan Union of People, living with HIV, Almaty, Kazakhstan
NGO: Gender and Development, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

TBC Consult
Center for Health Policies and Studies (PAS Center)
Crisinau
NGO SMIT
New Vector
ALE: Kazakhstan Union of People
NGO: Gender and Development

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