Abstract
The AA. studied the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) from 2003 to 2008 in the Province of Siena. The population increased from 265.907 residents in 2003, to 288.378 in 2008. Its% distribution in the districts was at 2008: Val d'Elsa (24%), Siena downtown (23%), Val di Chiana (23%), Val d' Orcia-Amiata (9%), Crete-Val d' Arbia (9%), Chianti (6%), Val di Merse (6%). The% of immigrants at 2008 in the districts was: Chianti 10.9%, Val di Merse 10.5%, Crete-Val d' Arbia 8.4%, Val d' Elsa 7.9%, Val di Chiana 7.9%, Val d' Orcia-Amiata 6.2%, Siena downtown 5.7%. In the period considered, TB constantly increased, and the% of 10 cases/100000 inhabitants of the countries with low incidence of TB, was exceeded in 2007 with 12 cases/100000 inhabitants, 10 cases/100000 in 2008. The incidence between the immigrants exceeded 7 times that between the Italians, from 30/100000 to 65/100000 residents for immigrants, from 4.2/100000 to 9/100000 residents for Italians; probably the incidence in immigrants was underestimated as the study considered only the notified cases and the regular immigrants. The greatest incidence of TB was in the districts of Val d'Elsa and Siena downtown.
The immigrant TB patients were younger than italian patients (35±15 vs 56±20 years old, p<0.05). The 86.4% of the 142 patients examined were affected by TB diagnosed for the first time, the 13.6% by relapses of TB.
No significative differences were found concerning the incidence of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB; the 66.4% of Italians were affected by pulmonary TB, the 28.2% by extrapulmonary TB, the 5.4% by pulmonary+extrapulmonary TB; the 68.6% of immigrants were affected by pulmonary TB, the 26.8 by extrapulmonary TB, the 4.6% by pulmonary+ extrapulmonary TB).
- © 2011 ERS