Table 1.
Basic characteristics and TB-related findings of the study participants.
| Homeless persons (n = 263) | Caregivers (n = 173) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic characteristics | |||
| Sex, female | n (%) | 2 (0.8) | 94 (54.3) |
| Age, years | mean median (range) | 58.0 59 (30-74) | 48.2 48 (30-71) |
| 30-49 | n (%) | 40 (15.2) | 97 (56.1) |
| 50-59 | n (%) | 108 (41.1) | 52 (30.1) |
| 60-74 | n (%) | 115 (43.7) | 24 (13.9) |
| Current smoker | n (%) | 189 (73.0) | 63 (37.1) |
| Current drinker | n (%) | 134 (51.9) | 54 (32.0) |
| Length of time spent living and/or working in the Airin district, years | mean median (range) | 13.5 10 (0.1-58) | 10.3 5 (0.1-64) |
| <5 years | n (%) | 63 (25.9) | 73 (43.2) |
| 5-10 years | n (%) | 46 (18.9) | 33 (19.5) |
| ≥10 years | n (%) | 134 (55.1) | 63 (37.3) |
| TB-related findings | |||
| Past history of TB | n (%) | 33 (12.6) | 6 (3.5) |
| Past exposure to TB patients | n (%) | 50 (19.8) | 32 (18.7) |
| Cough and/or sputum | n (%) | 64 (24.6) | 6 (3.5) |
| General fatigue | n (%) | 51 (19.6) | 9 (5.2) |
| Elevated body temperature | n (%) | 9 (3.5) | 1 (0.6) |
| Abnormal chest X-ray finding | n (%) | 68 (25.9) | 7 (4.1) |
| Active TB case | n (%) | 4 (1.5) | 0 (0.0) |
| Positive QFT result | n (%) | 133 (50.6) | 42 (24.3) |
| Indeterminate QFT result | n (%) | 4 (1.5) | 1 (0.6) |
Abbreviations: TB, tuberculosis; QFT, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube
The number of missing values was 20 for length of time spent in the Airin district, 10 for past exposure to TB patients, 4 for smoking, 5 for drinking and 3 for cough and/or sputum, general fatigue and elevated body temperature among homeless persons, and 4 for length of time spent in the Airin district, 2 for past exposure to TB patients, 3 for smoking and 4 for drinking among caregivers.
None of the participants had a history of extra-pulmonary TB or used immunosuppressive agents.