The burden and predictors of latent tuberculosis infection among immigrants in South Korea: a retrospective cross-sectional study

BMC Infectious Diseases

Dawoon Jeong¹  Hongjo Choi²  Sarah Yu³ 

[1] Division of Health Policy, Research Center, The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Cheongju, Republic of Korea;Division of Health Policy, Research Center, The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Cheongju, Republic of Korea;Department of Preventive Medicine, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea;Division of Health Policy, Research Center, The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Cheongju, Republic of Korea;School of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;Transdiciplinary Major in Learning Health Systems, Department of Healthcare Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea;

关键词: Tuberculosis screening;    Immigrant screening;    Standardized prevalence ratio;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12879-021-06922-x

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundApproximately one-fourth of the global population is latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. An understanding of the burden of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among immigrants compared with the general Korean population should be the first step in identifying priority groups for LTBI diagnosis and treatment. The study aimed to compute the age-standardized LTBI prevalence and predictors among immigrants with LTBI in South Korea.MethodsIn 2018, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency implemented a pilot LTBI screening project for immigrants using a chest radiography and the QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube assay. A standardized prevalence ratio (SPR) was computed to compare the LTBI burden in immigrants and the general Korean population.ResultsDuring the duration of the project, a total of 8108 immigrants (5134 males and 2974 females) underwent LTBI screening. The SPR of 1.547 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.468–1.629) in males and 1.261 (95% CI 1.177–1.349) in females were both higher than the Korean reference population. Furthermore, among the immigrants, those aged < 40 years and Korean diaspora visa holders had a higher SPR.ConclusionThis study found a higher LTBI prevalence among immigrant population in South Korea compared to that in the general Korean population, and the SPR was higher among those aged < 40 years and the Korean diaspora. The findings can be used as baseline evidence for including immigrants in South Korea in the at-risk group with a priority need for LTBI screening and treatment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY