Risk facts associated to pulmonary tuberculosis. Municipality of Guacara. Carabobo State. Venezuela. January 2004-May 2007

Abstract

Given the high incidence of the tuberculosis at the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, diminishing this disease is a priority of the public health. The reduction and control of the risk facts should contribute to this task. At the state of Carabobo there is also a high morbidity rate by pulmonary tuberculosis, especially in the municipality of Guacara. We carried out an investigation to identify the risk facts associated to the pulmonary tuberculosis with an epidemiologic observational, analytic design of the cases type and controls, in the before mentioned municipality, from January 2004 to May 2007. The universe was the total of the tuberculosis cases diagnosed in this period, and the sample was formed by 67cases and 2 controls per case: 134 controls for a total of 201 enquired persons. The studied risk facts (independent variables) were grouped in: personal pathologic records, 2) socio-economic level, 3) lifestyle, and 4) health care. The information was obtained from an enquiry elaborated by the author. The statistic processing included a bivariate analysis with a risk focus in contingency charts, and the odd ratio and confidence intervals at the 95 % were calculated for each of the risk facts in the Program Epi-Info. Later, the logistic regression was applied in the Program SPSS, as a technique of multivariate analysis, considering as definitive risk facts: malnutrition, marital status, bad housing conditions, low scholarship, little access to health care services, and smoking.