[Tuberculosis as an occupational disease in the province of Wielkopolska]

Abstract

Background: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the general population of Poland is still quite high as compared to the "old" Fifteen of the European Union. In Poland, occupational TB has recently been diagnosed almost entirely among medical personnel and social workers. The aim of the study was to analyze TB epidemiology in the province of Wielkopolska, taking account of the largest pulmonological hospital in this region.

Material and methods: The analysis was based on the data contained in the occupational disease certification forms collected by the State Sanitary Inspection for the province of Wielkopolska as well as on the data on TB incidence and employment of workers derived from the largest hospital of pulmonological and phthisiological profile.

Results: In the Wielkopolska region, 7 cases (17.5%) of occupational TB in men and 33 cases (82.5%) in women were found in 1999-2003. In those years, TB incidence was not significantly higher among physicians (18.6/100,000/year) and nurses (26.9/100,000/year) than in the general population (20.4/100,000/year) of this region. In the study population, age was a significant factor influencing the incidence of occupational TB. Nurses were the occupational group that was at particular high risk of TB at the young age (mean, 34.4 +/- 6.5 years). Physicians fell ill much later--the mean age of diagnosing TB in this group was 53.8 +/- 12.1 years. In the hospital under study (median number of employees in the years 1997-2003 was 419 persons), the median morbidity from TB was 4.7 cases/1000 employees/year; 7.1/1000 physicians/year; and 3.9/nurses/year in 1997-2003.

Conclusions: The results of this analysis confirmed the influence of age and character of the medical institution on TB epidemiology among medical personnel. In this paper the problems of epidemiology of certified cases of occupational tuberculosis are also discussed.