Sociodemographic and clinical characterization of patients with tuberculosis treated at a healthcare institution in Barranquilla, Colombia

Introduction: Tuberculosis is mainly a pulmonary disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can affect any individual. Objective: To describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis reported in a healthcare institution in the district of Barranquilla, Colombia. Methods: A descriptive study that retrospectively reviewed the surveillance system database of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis in a healthcare institution in the district of Barranquilla between 2017 and 2019. Results: A total of 147 patients were reported. Of them, 68% were male and 32% were female. The majority of patients were in the age range of 20 to 44 years (45.6%). Unskilled workers accounted for 83.7% of the sample, and 67.3% were affiliated with the subsidized health insurance scheme. Pulmonary tuberculosis was found in 72.8% of the patients and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in 27.2%. Concomitant HIV infection was reported in 21.1% of the patients. The most common comorbidities were diabetes (7.5%) and malnutrition (6.8%). All patients had drug-susceptible tuberculosis. Conclusion: The results of this study showed sociodemographic and clinical patterns similar to those reported in Colombia; thus, they are valuable tools to strengthen surveillance and control strategies for this public health concern.