Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients are at a greater risk of infection and developing TB as well. Despite recommendations to actively screen such high-risk groups for TB, it is poorly implemented in Ethiopia. A community-based household contact screening was conducte...

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Main Authors: Habtamu Milkias Wolde, Betselot Zerihun, Waganeh Sinshaw, Delenasaw Yewhalaw, Gemeda Abebe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-03-01
Series:BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-024-02950-w
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author Habtamu Milkias Wolde
Betselot Zerihun
Waganeh Sinshaw
Delenasaw Yewhalaw
Gemeda Abebe
author_facet Habtamu Milkias Wolde
Betselot Zerihun
Waganeh Sinshaw
Delenasaw Yewhalaw
Gemeda Abebe
author_sort Habtamu Milkias Wolde
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients are at a greater risk of infection and developing TB as well. Despite recommendations to actively screen such high-risk groups for TB, it is poorly implemented in Ethiopia. A community-based household contact screening was conducted to compare the yield of two different screening approaches and to identify factors associated with TB occurrence. Methods Smear-positive pulmonary TB index cases from six health facilities in six districts of Silti Zone were identified and enrolled prospectively between September 2020 and December 2022. Trained healthcare workers conducted house visits to screen household contacts for TB. WHO (World Health Organization) recommended symptom-based screening algorithms were used. The yield of screening was compared between a two-time screening at study site I and a single baseline screening at study site II, which is the current programmatic approach. Generalized estimating equation was used to run multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with TB occurrence. Results A total of 387 index TB cases (193 at site I and 194 at site II) with 1,276 eligible contacts were included for analysis. The TB yield of repeat screening approach did not show a significant difference compared to a single screening (2.3% at site I vs. 1.1% at site II, p < 0.072). The number needed to screen was 44 and 87 for the repeat and single screening, respectively, indicating a high TB burden in both settings. The screening algorithm for patients with comorbidities of asthma and heart failure had a 100% sensitivity, 19.1% specificity and a positive predictive value of 5.6%. Cough [AOR: 10.9, 95%CI: 2.55,46.37], fatigue [AOR: 6.1, 95%CI: 1.76,21.29], daily duration of contact with index case [AOR: 4.6, 95%CI; 1.57,13.43] and age of index cases [AOR: 0.9, 95%CI; 0.91–0.99] were associated with the occurrence of TB among household contacts. Conclusion Our study showed that the yield of TB was not significantly different between one-time screening and repeat screening. Although repeat screening has made an addition to case notification, it should be practiced only if resources permit. Cough, fatigue, duration of contact and age of index cases were factors associated with TB. Further studies are needed to establish the association between older age and the risk of transmitting TB.
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spelling doaj.art-65e66687268646c9bb6fbf0a5e4cacd62024-03-17T12:13:01ZengBMCBMC Pulmonary Medicine1471-24662024-03-0124111210.1186/s12890-024-02950-wComparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort studyHabtamu Milkias Wolde0Betselot Zerihun1Waganeh Sinshaw2Delenasaw Yewhalaw3Gemeda Abebe4School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversityEthiopian Public Health InstituteEthiopian Public Health InstituteSchool of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversitySchool of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversityAbstract Background Household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients are at a greater risk of infection and developing TB as well. Despite recommendations to actively screen such high-risk groups for TB, it is poorly implemented in Ethiopia. A community-based household contact screening was conducted to compare the yield of two different screening approaches and to identify factors associated with TB occurrence. Methods Smear-positive pulmonary TB index cases from six health facilities in six districts of Silti Zone were identified and enrolled prospectively between September 2020 and December 2022. Trained healthcare workers conducted house visits to screen household contacts for TB. WHO (World Health Organization) recommended symptom-based screening algorithms were used. The yield of screening was compared between a two-time screening at study site I and a single baseline screening at study site II, which is the current programmatic approach. Generalized estimating equation was used to run multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with TB occurrence. Results A total of 387 index TB cases (193 at site I and 194 at site II) with 1,276 eligible contacts were included for analysis. The TB yield of repeat screening approach did not show a significant difference compared to a single screening (2.3% at site I vs. 1.1% at site II, p < 0.072). The number needed to screen was 44 and 87 for the repeat and single screening, respectively, indicating a high TB burden in both settings. The screening algorithm for patients with comorbidities of asthma and heart failure had a 100% sensitivity, 19.1% specificity and a positive predictive value of 5.6%. Cough [AOR: 10.9, 95%CI: 2.55,46.37], fatigue [AOR: 6.1, 95%CI: 1.76,21.29], daily duration of contact with index case [AOR: 4.6, 95%CI; 1.57,13.43] and age of index cases [AOR: 0.9, 95%CI; 0.91–0.99] were associated with the occurrence of TB among household contacts. Conclusion Our study showed that the yield of TB was not significantly different between one-time screening and repeat screening. Although repeat screening has made an addition to case notification, it should be practiced only if resources permit. Cough, fatigue, duration of contact and age of index cases were factors associated with TB. Further studies are needed to establish the association between older age and the risk of transmitting TB.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-024-02950-wHousehold contactsTuberculosisScreeningYieldNumber need to screen
spellingShingle Habtamu Milkias Wolde
Betselot Zerihun
Waganeh Sinshaw
Delenasaw Yewhalaw
Gemeda Abebe
Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Household contacts
Tuberculosis
Screening
Yield
Number need to screen
title Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
title_full Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
title_fullStr Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
title_full_unstemmed Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
title_short Comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of Silti Zone, Central Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
title_sort comparison of the yield of two tuberculosis screening approaches among household contacts in a community setting of silti zone central ethiopia a prospective cohort study
topic Household contacts
Tuberculosis
Screening
Yield
Number need to screen
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-024-02950-w
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