Epidemiological Study of Tuberculosis in Northern Iran

Background & Purpose:  One of the most important united nation Millennium Development Goals is to control Tuberculosis (TB). This study aimed to identify the high-risk areas of TB and other related factors of it in an epidemiological study. Materials & Methods:  In this retrospective study, the records of 1566 TB infected patients in healthcare centers of 17 cities of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were investigated during 2009-2013 years. Information of patients was gathered using a check list. The collected data was then analyzed using chi-square. Results: The mean age of the patients was 46.17± 20.6 years. The 5-year incidence rate was 12.14 in 100,000 populations. Cities in the east of Province (Sari, Behshahr, and Neka) had highest incidence rate (about 16 cases in 100,000 population). The incidence rate was different based on gender as, 15.3 % of the men and 10.2 % of the women were infected. The median delay time in the diagnosis was 34 days. Conclusions: The incidence rate of TB in Mazandaran was found to be almost similar to the previous reported rate in Iran. High incidence rate in east of province may be due to bordering to the Golestan Province as the immigrant province. The short delay time of TB diagnosis during this period indicated the well health services practices in this province. More attention should be paid to high risk areas for identification and giving education to those patients.