Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Ardabil Province, 2011-2016

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic bacterial disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis that appears in 85% of cases by pulmonary form. Epidemiologic study of disease during the time can have important rule for evaluation strategy of diseases control and trend of health indices. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Ardabil province. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted on 797 TB patients who referred to health centers in Ardabil province. Information was collected from patients’ records and then analyzed by statistical methods in SPSS version 19. Results: The average age of patients was 44.3±18.1 (1-91 years). 46% of patients were male and the rest were female. 83% of patients were living in urban and 18% in rural areas. The mean of total incidence of TB in Ardabil province during study years was 10.26 per 100000. From all TB cases, 56.71% was pulmonary and rest was extra-pulmonary. The most common organs involved in extra-pulmonary TB were lymph nodes with 24.21%. Conclusion: More considering to the early known of Pulmonary Tb and starting treatment after confirmation and also considering to the lower age of TB cases, aassessment the barriers to implementation of control, therapeutic and educational programs about TB cases is essential.