Thiago Nascimento do Prado

Epidemiological profile of adult patients with tuberculosis and AIDS in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil: cross-referencing tuberculosis and AIDS databases

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the epidemiological profile of patients with tuberculosis (TB) only and that of patients with TB/AIDS in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, between 2000 and 2006. METHODS For the patients of interest, we collected demographic and clinical data from the Epidemiological Surveillance Center (TB database), Brazilian Case Registry Database, and Brazilian National Mortality Database, as well as the Brazilian National CD4+/CD8+ T Lymphocyte Count and Viral Load Network Laboratory Test Control System and the Logistic Medication Monitoring System (HIV/AIDS databases). All of the compiled data were cross-referenced. RESULTS During the study period, we identified 9,543 TB patients > 15 years of age, 437 of whom (4.6%) had AIDS. The median age did not differ between TB/AIDS and TB-only patients (35 years vs. 38 years). Of the 437 TB/AIDS patients, 298 (68.2%) were male, and 156 (35.8%) were in the 30-39 age bracket. In terms of TB treatment outcome, 79.0% were cured, 9.7% were referred to other facilities, 6.0% died, 5.2% abandoned treatment, and 0.2% developed multidrug-resistant TB. Death was 4.75 times more common in patients with TB/AIDS than in those with TB only. Pulmonary TB accounted for 82.4% of the cases. The combination of pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB was 8.2 times more common in the TB/AIDS patients than in the TB-only patients (95% CI: 6.2-10.8). CONCLUSIONS Our results emphasize the significance of AIDS among TB patients in Brazil, as well as the importance of evaluating secondary data in order to improve their quality and develop public health interventions.

Distribuição espacial dos casos novos de tuberculose em Vitória, Estado do Espírito Santo, no período entre 2000 e 2005

We carried out an ecological study in which the spatial distribution of 979 new tuberculosis cases between 2000 and 2005 were analyzed. The risk was estimated using the local empirical Bayesian method. The local indicators of spatial association were calculated to evaluate autocorrelations of incidence between adjoining districts. We found that the tuberculosis cases were heterogeneously distributed between districts, and it was possible to identify regions in which there was a high risk of becoming ill.

Tuberculose em profissionais de saúde: um novo olhar sobre um antigo problema

The objective of this review was to contribute to the debate on the nosocomial transmission of TB among health professionals in a country where TB is endemic. Prior to 1900, there was no reason to believe that health professionals interacting with TB patients were more susceptible to becoming infected with the bacillus than was the general population. Between 1920 and 1930, various studies showed significant findings regarding the rates of positive tuberculin skin tests among students in the area of health care. However, most clinicians remained skeptical about the susceptibility of health professionals to becoming infected with TB. In the various locales where the treatment of patients with TB has been implemented, health professionals have been described as an especially predisposed population to becoming infected with and developing active TB. It is urgent that the scientific community and health professionals become mobilized, recognizing themselves as a population at risk of developing TB, and that actions be taken in order to minimize the potential risks of acquiring the disease at locales where patients with TB are treated.

Evaluation of the pressure ulcers risk scales with critically ill patients: a prospective cohort study

AIMS: to evaluate the accuracy of the Braden and Waterlow risk assessment scales in critically ill inpatients. METHOD: this prospective cohort study, with 55 patients in intensive care units, was performed through evaluation of sociodemographic and clinical variables, through the application of the scales (Braden and Waterlow) upon admission and every 48 hours; and through the evaluation and classification of the ulcers into categories. RESULTS: the pressure ulcer incidence was 30.9%, with the Braden and Waterlow scales presenting high sensitivity (41% and 71%) and low specificity (21% and 47%) respectively in the three evaluations. The cut off scores found in the first, second and third evaluations were 12, 12 and 11 in the Braden scale, and 16, 15 and 14 in the Waterlow scale. CONCLUSION: the Braden scale was shown to be a good screening instrument, and the Waterlow scale proved to have better predictive power.AIMS: to evaluate the accuracy of the Braden and Waterlow risk assessment scales in critically ill inpatients. METHOD: this prospective cohort study, with 55 patients in intensive care units, was performed through evaluation of sociodemographic and clinical variables, through the application of the scales (Braden and Waterlow) upon admission and every 48 hours; and through the evaluation and classification of the ulcers into categories. RESULTS: the pressure ulcer incidence was 30.9%, with the Braden and Waterlow scales presenting high sensitivity (41% and 71%) and low specificity (21% and 47%) respectively in the three evaluations. The cut off scores found in the first, second and third evaluations were 12, 12 and 11 in the Braden scale, and 16, 15 and 14 in the Waterlow scale. CONCLUSION: the Braden scale was shown to be a good screening instrument, and the Waterlow scale proved to have better predictive power.

Guided sputum sample collection and culture contamination rates in the diagnosis of pulmonary TB

A comparative study to evaluate contamination in cultures of morning sputum samples, comparing those collected at home under currently recommended conditions and those collected under supervision after patient orientation and education. The home and supervised collection groups produced 43 and 76 sputum samples, respectively. The contamination rate was nearly 3-times higher among samples collected at home than among those collected under supervision (37% vs. 13%, p < 0.05; OR = 0.25). The simple educational and hygiene measures described can decrease the contamination rate among sputum samples collected for diagnostic culture.

Prevalência de infecção latente pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis entre estudantes da área da saúde de uma universidade pública em Vitória, ES, Brasil

Este artigo tem por objetivo determinar a prevalencia da infeccao pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis em academicos de enfermagem e medicina da Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo. Estudo de corte transversal no qual os dados foram coletados atraves de questionario, composto de questoes abertas e fechadas sobre caracteristicas pessoais; informacoes a respeito da tuberculose; utilizacao de medidas preventivas, etc. Aplicou-se teste tuberculinico, com leitura apos 72h por enfermeiros treinados, considerando como ponte de corte positivo 10 mm de enduracao. Participaram 225 voluntarios, sendo 98 estudantes da Medicina e 127 da Enfermagem. A positividade ao teste tuberculinico fora encontrada em 54 estudantes de ambos os cursos, resultando uma prevalencia de 24%. Entre os Estudantes de Enfermagem o resultado do TST positivo foi obtido em 24% e nos Estudantes de Medicina em 23%, sendo esta diferenca nao significativa estatisticamente. Faz-se necessario um programa de realizacao de teste tuberculinico, de rotina, para confirmacao de viragem tuberculinica, combinado com intervencoes para reduzir o risco de transmissao nosocomial no local da pratica, bem como a realizacao de outros estudos para avaliar a eficacia de novos testes para deteccao de tuberculose latente.Day care centers were first established in Brazil with the aim of reducing infant mortality rates, however the incidence of foodborne disease transmission has been on the increase. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year 1.8 million deaths worldwide occur in children under 5 years of age, which is attributed to the consumption of contaminated food. However, Brazilian legislation does not provide specific rules of operation for day care center kitchens. Thus, the scope of this study is to research the standards relating to the operation of day care centers, discussing the health regulations related to food production. By means of a review of electronic pages of various government organs, the regulations inherent to the operation and production of food in day care centers were examined. After scrutiny of the twenty-seven pieces of legislation found, there is a concern with water quality, supply of food, the control of pests and vectors, structural conditions and food policies. In spite of this, it was seen that not all the surveillance policies for the quality of food offered in day care centers are effective. Also observed was the lack of a specific regulation that establishes the quality criteria for safe handling of food in day care centers.

Juvenile household contacts aged 15 or younger of patients with pulmonary TB in the greater metropolitan area of Vitória, Brazil: a cohort study

OBJECTIVE To compare clinical, radiological and laboratory aspects of household contacts, aged 15 or younger, of patients presenting a positive culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHODS This was a cohort study comparing children and adolescents (< or = 15 years of age) who were household contacts of TB cases presenting positive sputum smear and positive culture results (exposed group, n = 100) or negative sputum smear and positive culture results (unexposed group, n = 55). All of the contacts were evaluated via the TB control program of a university hospital in the city of Vitória, Brazil, between July of 2003 and December of 2006. RESULTS Of the 155 minors evaluated, 87 (56.1%) were female and 68 (43.9%) were male. Of those 155, 28 (18%) were aged 5 or younger, 62 (40%) were aged 5-9, and 65 (42%) were aged 10-15. Symptoms of the disease were found in 17 (17%) of the 100 contacts in the exposed group and in 9 (16%) of the 55 in the unexposed group (p = 0.86). Chest X-rays showed alterations in 20 (21%) and 2 (4%) of the contacts in the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively (RR = 6.9; p = 0.004). In the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively, 35 (38%) and 10 (18%) of the contacts presented positive results in the tuberculin skin test (RR = 2.8; p = 0.01). Of the 100 contacts in the exposed group, 5 (5%) were diagnosed with TB, which was not diagnosed in any of those in the unexposed group (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS Although no significant difference was found between the two groups regarding the incidence of TB, it is of note that there is a greater risk of becoming infected with M. tuberculosis if the bacterial load of the index case is high.

Factors associated with nonadherence to TB chemoprophylaxis in Vitória, Brazil: a historical cohort study*

OBJECTIVE To describe the factors associated with nonadherence to TB chemoprophylaxis in patients older than 15 years of age treated via referral TB control programs. METHODS A historical cohort study was carried out based on medical charts related to cases treated via referral TB control programs in the city of Vitória, Brazil, between 2002 and 2007. Cases of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis were stratified into two groups: health care workers (HCW group); and individuals who were not health care workers (NHCW group). RESULTS A total of 395 patients were included in the study: 35 in the HCW group and 360 in the NHCW group. The mean age in the HCW and NHCW groups was 34.8 and 32.4 years, respectively (p = 0.36). Of the 35 patients in the HCW group, 29 (82.9%) were female, compared with 180 (50.0%) of the 360 patients in the NHCW group. In the HCW and NHCW groups, respectively, 15 (42.9%) and 169 (46.9%) of the patients were contacts of TB cases. In addition, 9 (25.7%) and 157 (78.5%) the HCW and NHCW group patients, respectively, were HIV-infected. Nonadherence to chemoprophylaxis was 37.1% and 21.9% in the HCW and NHCW groups, respectively (p = 0.045). In the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with nonadherence were being a health care worker (OR = 8.60; 95% CI: 2.09-35.41), being HIV-infected (OR = 4.57; 95% CI: 1.2-17.5) and having had contact with a TB patient (OR = 2.65; 95% CI: 1.15-6.12). CONCLUSIONS In order to improve adherence to TB chemoprophylaxis, new TB control program strategies are needed, especially for health care workers and HIV-infected patients.

Comparison of Interferon-γ Release Assay to Two Cut-Off Points of Tuberculin Skin Test to Detect Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Primary Health Care Workers

Background An interferon-γ release assay, QuantiFERON-TB (QFT) test, has been introduced an alternative test for the diagnosis of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Here, we compared the performance of QFT with tuberculin skin test (TST) measured at two different cut-off points among primary health care work (HCW) in Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among HCWs in four Brazilian cities with a known history of high incidence of TB. Results of the QFT were compared to TST results based on both ≥5 mm and ≥10 mm as cut-off points. Results We enrolled 632 HCWs. When the cut-off value of ≥10 mm was used, agreement between QFT and TST was 69% (k = 0.31), and when the cut-off of ≥5 mm was chosen, the agreement was 57% (k = 0.22). We investigated possible factors of discordance of TST vs QFT. Compared to the TST−/QFT− group, risk factors for discordance in the TST+/QFT− group with TST cut-off of ≥5 mm included age between 41–45 years [OR = 2.70; CI 95%: 1.32–5.51] and 46–64 years [OR = 2.04; CI 95%: 1.05–3.93], BCG scar [OR = 2.72; CI 95%: 1.40–5.25], and having worked only in primary health care [OR = 2.30; CI 95%: 1.09–4.86]. On the other hand, for the cut-off of ≥10 mm, BCG scar [OR = 2.26; CI 95%: 1.03–4.91], being a household contact of a TB patient [OR = 1.72; CI 95%: 1.01–2.92] and having had a previous TST [OR = 1.66; CI 95%: 1.05–2.62], were significantly associated with the TST+/QFT− group. No statistically significant associations were found among the TST−/QFT+ discordant group with either TST cut-off value. Conclusions Although we identified BCG vaccination to contribute to the discordance at both TST cut-off measures, the current Brazilian recommendation for the initiation of LTBI treatment, based on information gathered from medical history, TST, chest radiograph and physical examination, should not be changed.

Avaliação dos egressos do curso de especialização em Saúde da Família no Espírito Santo, Brasil

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of the specialization course on Family Health Care (PG-PSF), in Espirito Santo State, for the reorientation of the practices in health. It is a cross-sectional study with a population of 47 egressing students of the PG-PSF course in 2007. It was used a semi-structured questionnaire for data collection data. The analysis of the generated contributions showed some reports regarding the changes in the work actions after the acquired knowledge during the course. The majority of the students declared that the acquired knowledge have applicability in their daily work. They also declared that can plan their actions based in the epidemic profile of the area where worked. The relevance of this course was verified for the egressing students, with the perspective of a constant adaptation of the contents and improvement of the didactic-pedagogic process, through a system of continuous education or permanent education, as well as the attendance processes and supervision in service.