Social and Clinical Profile of Patients with Tuberculosis in a Family Medicine Unit in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Abstract

Objective: to determine the clinical and social profile of patients with tuberculosis of the Family Medicine Unit no. 33 (umf) in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico who went for consultation from 2008 to 2012. Methods: observational, descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study, which objective was to determine the clinical and social profile of patients with tuberculosis of the no. 33 Unit. The collection of data was done with the “Epidemiological Study of Tuberculosis” and “Registration and Control Card” used in the national health system; the information was obtained from the clinical records from the preventive area. Complete records of patients who were on treatment from 2008 to 2012 were included. Those missing or incomplete records were excluded. The main studied variables studied were: place of birth, education, occupation, drug addictions, bacillary load at the time of diagnosis and co-morbidities, among others. The study followed the national and institutional research norms. Results: 169 records were included, of which 56% were men and 44% women. The mean age was 32 years, 18% of the participants had completed high school and 18% had completed junior high school. A third of the participants were born in Tamaulipas. The main occupation was machine operator in the manufacturing sector, followed by housewife with 22%. 94% had no addiction, 4% alcoholism and 1% smoking, 1% other drugs. The most frequent comorbidity was Diabetes Mellitus type 2, followed by hiv/aids and malnutrition. In 89% of the cases the diagnosis of tuberculosis was made in the outpatient medical unit through sputum smear examination. The first sign of the disease was coughing.
A high percentage had total remission of the disease and 4% abandoned the treatment. Conclusions: primary care physicians diagnose 89% of the cases; there should be an emphasis on identifying the risk factors: migration, diabetes type 2 and make a search in any case of cough, since it is the main clinical manifestation of the disease.