Background Prisons offer a fertile setting for the transmission of tuberculosis due to the presence of many classic risk factors for both infection and disease: overcrowding, poor ventilation, and little sunlight. Prisoners are often malnourished and have poor hygiene and are more likely to have a background of alcohol and drug abuse. Objectives To determine the prevalence of prisoners with respiratory symptoms and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) through active case finding in a prisoner population of the county jail of Carapicuíba, and to study possible related variables. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, and respiratory symptomatic individuals (RSI) were detected through active case finding. Socio-demographic data were collected from inmates’ judicial history using a specific questionnaire. The RSI provided sputum specimens for detection of acid fast bacilli and culture for mycobacterium identification. Results Among the 397 prisoners studied, 154 reported respiratory symptoms for more than three weeks, and were considered RSI; the variables associated with RSI were: having already been tried and incarcerated for more than six months and seven were diagnosed as PTB (1,763 cases/100,000 inhabitants). Conclusions The prevalence of RSI and PTB cases were respectively 39 and 35 times greater than the general population.

Objective: To determine the compliance with tuberculosis treatment among patients enrolled the tuberculosis control program in the city of Carapicuíba, Brazil, before and after the implementation of the directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) strategy. Methods: A retrospective historical cohort study of operational aspects based on records of attendance and treatment evolution of patients in self-administered treatment (SAT) and of those submitted to DOTS. Monthly treatment outcome tables were created, and the probability of compliance with the treatment was calculated for both groups of patients. Results: A total of 360 patients with tuberculosis met the inclusion criteria: 173 (48.1%) in the SAT group; and 187 (51.9%) in the DOTS group. Treatment compliance was 6.1% higher in the DOTS group than in the SAT group. The proportion of patients completing the six months of treatment was 91.6% and 85.5% in the DOTS group and in the SAT group, respectively. Conclusions: The results of this study show that DOTS can be successfully implemented at primary health care clinics. In this population of patients, residents of a city with low incomes and a high burden of tuberculosis infection, DOTS was more effective than was SAT.Keywords: Tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Treatment outcome; Medication adherence. ResumoObjetivo: Verificar a adesão ao tratamento dos casos atendidos no programa de controle da tuberculose do município de Carapicuíba (SP), antes e após a implantação da estratégia directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, tratamento supervisionado). Métodos: Estudo operacional do tipo coorte histórica a partir dos registros de comparecimento e evolução do tratamento dos pacientes submetidos ao tratamento autoadministrado (TAA) e daqueles submetidos a DOTS. Tábuas de desfecho de tratamento mês a mês foram elaboradas, e a probabilidade de adesão foi calculada para cada grupo de pacientes. Resultados: Um total de 360 pacientes com tuberculose preencheu os critérios de elegibilidade: 173 (48,1%) no grupo TAA e 187 (51,9%) no grupo TS. A adesão ao tratamento foi 6,1% maior no grupo DOTS do que no grupo TAA. Ao final de seis meses, 91,6% dos pacientes sob TS completaram o tratamento padrão, enquanto 85,5% dos pacientes do grupo TAA completaram o tratamento. Conclusões: Este estudo mostrou que a estratégia DOTS pode ser realizada com sucesso em unidades básicas de saúde e que essa estratégia foi mais efetiva que o TAA nesta população de pacientes de uma cidade com população de baixa renda e alta carga de tuberculose. Carapicuíba, a bedroom community located in the greater metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil, is one of the most densely populated cities in the country (10,936 inhabitants/km 2 ) and has been considered one of the priority cities since 1998 because it has one of the highest incidences of TB in the state of São Paulo (54.2/100,000 population infected; and 32.3/100,000 population with active TB-data for 2005).The DOTS strategy rests on five pillars: political commitment; dete...

Objective: To determine treatment noncompliance rates among patients participating in a municipal tuberculosis control program and to identify the variables related to noncompliance depending on the type of treatment strategy used. Methods: A longitudinal non-concurrent cohort study was carried out involving two cohorts of patients participating in the Tuberculosis Control Program of the city of Carapicuíba, Brazil. The first cohort comprised 173 patients with tuberculosis treated from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003 using self administration of treatment, and the second comprised 187 patients with tuberculosis treated from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005 using the directly observed therapy, short-course strategy. Results: Noncompliance rates decreased from 13.3% (self administration of treatment) to 5.9% (directly observed therapy, short-course), a significant difference (p < 0.05). For the self administration of treatment strategy, the variables significantly associated with treatment noncompliance were as follows: being an unregistered worker (relative risk [RR] = 3.06); retreatment (RR = 2.73); alcoholism (RR = 3.10); and no investigation of contacts (RR = 8.94). For the directly observed therapy, short-course strategy, no variables were significantly associated with noncompliance. Conclusion: The directly observed therapy, short-course strategy decreased noncompliance rates and produced better treatment outcomes, even when the risk factors for noncompliance were the same.

Objective: To describe cases of tuberculosis recurrence (TBR), stratified by temporal classification (early or late TBR), and to identify possible predictors of such recurrence. Methods:This was an analytical retrospective observational epidemiological study involving a cohort of 963 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, reported and treated via the Tuberculosis Control Program in the city of Carapicuíba, Brazil. The study period was from 2000 to 2010. All of the pulmonary tuberculosis patients who successfully completed the treatment (with or without confirmation of cure) were selected and followed until December 31, 2012. Results: Of the 963 cases, TBR occurred in 47 (4.88%). The mean time between the first and second tuberculosis episodes was 36.12 months. Of the 47 TBR cases, 16 (34.04%) occurred within the first 18 months after the completion of the initial treatment (early TBR) and 31 (65.96%) occurred thereafter (late TBR). There were statistically significant differences between the early and late TBR groups only regarding level of education (≤ 3 vs. > 3 years of schooling; p < 0.004) and weight gain at completion of the initial treatment (1.78 kg vs. 5.31 kg; p < 0.045)-not regarding any of the other variables studied. Conclusions: A low level of education might translate to poor treatment adherence, which impedes the killing of bacilli and facilitates their survival in a latent state, making it appear as if the treatment was effective. Minimal or no weight gain at completion of the initial treatment might be a reliable biomarker to be used by health care facilities that provide tuberculosis treatment.