Epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis and medical care seeking delay in medical staff in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 2016−2022

Objective To understand the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) reported in medical staff in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, analyze the epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary TB and associated factors associated with medical care seeking delay in this population, and provide evidence for the development of targeted prevention and control strategies.

Methods The incidence data of pulmonary TB in medical staff in Inner Mongolia from 2016 to 2022 were collected from national disease prevention and control information system for a descriptive epidemiological analysis. The medical care seeking delay was compared by χ² test, and multiple Logistic regression model was used to identify the associated factors for the medical care seeking delay.

Results A total of 318 pulmonary TB cases were reported in medical staff in Inner Mongolia during this period. The reported case number was highest in eastern area, followed by western area and central area, The highest annual proportion of pulmonary TB was reported in the fourth quarter, accounting for 27.94% of the total. The highest case number (38) was reported in November. The mean age of the cases was 34.83 years, and the median age M (P₂₅, P₇₅) was 30.57 (25.36, 41.50) years, the proportion of the cases was highest in age group 23–30 years (46.86%). The male to female ratio of the cases was 2.78∶1. The medical care seeking delay rate in designated TB medical institutions was lower than that in other medical institutions, the difference was significant (χ²=6.871, P =0.009). The medical care seeking delay rate in medical staff was lower than that in general population, the difference was significant (χ²=27.760, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the age 51−60 years old odds ratio (OR)=3.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38−9.97 was a risk factor for the medical care seeking delay.

Conclusion The incidence of pulmonary TB reported in medical staff in Inner Mongolia fluctuated irregularly, and the incidence was relatively high in eastern area, the cases were mainly distributed in age group 23−30 years, and the prevalence of medical care seeking delay was high. Therefore, targeted prevention and control strategies should be developed to reduce the incidence of pulmonary TB in this population.