Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the study population at diagnosis according to clinic
| Feature | All participants (n = 287) |
General clinic (n = 223) |
ID unit (n = 64) |
P value comparing hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIV seropositivity | 72 (25) | 8 (5) | 64 (100) | < 0.001 |
| MDRTB at time of diagnosis | 51 (18) | 21 (9) | 30 (47) | < 0.001 |
| Outpatient at time of diagnosis | 257 (90) | 223 (100) | 34 (53) | < 0.001 |
| Sputum smear positivity | 274 (96) | 223 (100) | 51 (80) | < 0.001 |
| Previous TB treatment | 60 (21) | 37 (17) | 23 (36) | 0.001 |
| Known TB exposure at home/work | 103 (36) | 83 (37) | 20 (31) | ns |
| Previous TB preventive therapy | 18 (6) | 3 (1) | 15 (23) | < 0.001 |
| Hospitalization in last 2 years | 45 (16) | 23 (10) | 22 (34) | < 0.001 |
| Male sex | 182 (63) | 130 (58) | 52 (81) | 0.001 |
| BCG scar(s) | 257 (90) | 199 (89) | 58 (91) | ns |
| Age in years: mean (SD) | 29 (11) | 28 (11) | 31 (8) | ns |
Note: The number (percentage) of patients with relevant clinical characteristics are shown for the whole study population and divided according to the hospital at which tuberculosis was diagnosed. Tuberculosis was treated within the same community health posts.
Abbreviations: HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; MDRTB, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; TB, tuberculosis; BCG, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin; SD, standard deviation; ID, infectious diseases; ns, no significant difference.