Advances and obstacles in the treatment of tuberculosis in the prison system of Bahia

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the clinical and epidemiological profile of the population deprived of liberty with tuberculosis in Bahia. Methods: Descriptive epidemiological study of temporal trends, carried out with data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System. The population consisted of incarcerated who were diagnosed with tuberculosis between 2009 and 2019. Sex, age, race/color, education, clinical characteristics, HIV testing and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: 2,233 cases were reported, 85.1% of which were men, the mean age was 34.7 years, 56.6% were brown, 92.2% were affected by the pulmonary form, 36.4% underwent Directly Observed Treatment and 67.2% recovered. It was observed a progressive increase in incidence, HIV testing, TB+HIV co-infection and treatment. Directly Observed Treatment, cure, death, abandonment and information about closure in the form did not change significantly in the series. Conclusion: Socioeconomic, intersectoral and training actions for the team are fundamental, especially related to the encouragement of Directly Observed Treatment.