Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Review

Tuberculosis infection status and risk factors among health workers: an updated systematic review: Sanga Lee, Wanhyung Lee, Seong-Kyu Kang; Ann Occup Environ Med 2021;33:e17. Published online May 28, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2021.33.e17

Tuberculosis (TB) infection is a common occupational risk for health workers (HWs) and poses a threat to the patients under their care and to other HWs. Hence, the development of a prevention strategy is crucial. We conducted a study to understand the status and risk factors of TB infection among HWs. The existing literature was searched for all published reports from 1 August 2010 to 31 December 2018, related to TB among HWs according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The inclusion criteria were: (1) study participants working in a health care facility; (2) TB cases diagnosed by medical professionals; (3) original research articles; and (4) English reports in a peer-reviewed journal. We finally included 61 studies from 642 articles searched initially. The TB infection rate in HWs was higher than that of the general population. Based on 39 studies, the prevalence of TB in HWs (tuberculin skin test positive) was 29.94%. In contrast, the global burden of latent TB infection was 23.0% (95% uncertainty interval: 20.4%–26.4%) in 2014. The risk factors of TB among HWs were aging, long duration of employment, nursing professionals, lack of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination, and low body mass index. HWs have an increased risk for TB infection, which can cause secondary infections in patients or other HWs. An effective prevention strategy must be developed to enable early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

Citations

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Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Result Features in the Detection of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Thai Healthcare Workers Using QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus
Wiphat Klayut, Sopa Srisungngam , Sirilada Suphankong, Pantip Sirichote, Benjawan Phetsuksiri, Supranee Bunchoo, Chiranan Jakreng, Savitree Racksas, Ballang Uppapong, Janisara Rudeeaneksin
Cureus.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Risks for latent tuberculosis infection among health care workers in Indonesia
Darariani DARARIANI, Nur A. TABRI, Muhammad ILYAS, Syakib BAKRI, Rini R. BACHTIAR, Himawan D. SANUSI, Hasyim KASIM, Arifin SEWENG
Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Risk factors affecting anal fistula incidence: a single hospital study
Fadhli AZHIMI, Samuel SAMPETODING, M. Ihwan KUSUMA, Firdaus HAMID, Sachraswaty R. LAIDDING, Prihantono PRIHANTONO, Muhammad FARUK
Chirurgia.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Managing an ageing healthcare workforce: a systematic literature review
Mari Kurashvili, Karin Reinhold, Marina Järvis
Journal of Health Organization and Management.2023; 37(1): 116. CrossRef
Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in health-care workers: a cross-sectional study at a northern Peruvian hospital
Edinson Dante Meregildo-Rodriguez, Verónica Yuptón-Chávez, Martha Genara Asmat-Rubio, Gustavo Adolfo Vásquez-Tirado
Frontiers in Medicine.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Changes in the rate of bacillus tuberculosis infection in health workers in the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic in Kashan- Iran
Mojgan Sehat, Reza Razzaghi, Mark Ghamsary, Monireh Faghir Ganji, Mojtaba Sehat
Heliyon.2023; 9(10): e20560. CrossRef

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Original Article

The Relationship between Hospital Departments and Risk of Developing Tuberculosis among Nurses Working at a University Hospitalin Korea: Retrospective Cohort Study: Jin Ha Yoon, Sung Soo Oh, Ki Hyun Lee, Sung Kyung Kim, Je Ho Oh, Chung Se Won, Sei Jin Chang, Bong Suk Cha, Ae Yong Eom, Sang Baek Koh; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2011;23(1):64-70. Published online March 31, 2011; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2011.23.1.64

Abstract PDF: OBJECTIVES
To investigate the occurring characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among nurses working at a university hospital in Korea.
METHODS
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using medical records from a university hospital. A total of 351 nurses without any pulmonary disease were enrolled during 2000~2007, and were followed up until October 2010. To compare with the incidence of TB between occupational subgroups, workplaces were divided into high and low TB-exposure risk departments. For statistical analysis, the relative risks for TB incidences between departments were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models and mean incidences were estimated with person-time years.
RESULTS
Seven cases of TB were observed during 2001 person-years. Five and two cases were observed in the high and low TB-exposure risk departments, respectively. The relative risk of TB infection in the high TB-exposure risk departments were 6.52 (95% CI, 1.26~33.60) compared to that in the low TB-exposure risk department. The mean incidence of TB in the total nurses was 0.350% per person-year.
CONCLUSIONS
According to the concept of occupational and environmental medicine, high TB-exposure risk departments were more likely to be at increased risk of tuberculosis.

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Original Article

Clinical Application of Polymerase Chain Reaction for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Pneumoconiotic Patient: Jae Hee Park, Chul Jae Lim, Kyung Hye Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1998;10(1):20-28. Published online February 28, 1998; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1998.10.1.20

Abstract PDF: Recent development in thepolymerase chain reaction (PCR) has brought an extraordinary opportunity for the rapid detection of M. tuberculosis in clinical specimens for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Pneumoconiosis is a sort of pulmonary fibrosis consequent to inhalation of the respirable dust. The association between pulmonary tuberculosis and pneumoconiosis is well recognized. There is a 10-fold increase in the tuberculosis risk among the workers who have pneumoconiosis demonstrated by chest roentgenogram. The physicians managing the patients with pneumoconiosis have to maintain a high index of suspicion for the development of mycobacterial infection, since the diagnosis of tuberculosis is often difficult. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a very slow growing organism and acid-fast bacillus (AFB) staining frequently shows false negative results, and therefore PCR would be a very rapid, easy and sensitive diagnostic method for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pneumoconiotic patients. To compare the PCR method with the conventional methods in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum, we used the sputa of 115 pneumoconiosis patients in Munkyeong Cheil Hospital. Of 32 pulmonary tuberculosis in the pneumoconiosis patients, 29 were PCR positive and were higher than 28, 20 positive by culture and AFB stain. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and which were 90.6, 91.5 % respectively for the PCR assay, 87.5, 100 % for the culture method ; 62.5, 98.7 % for the AFB stain. The PCR assay is a rapid, efficient, sensitive method which can detect M. tuberculosis directly in pneumoconiosis patients, and further study should be followed for the development of the easier method.

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Original Article

The Serum Alpha-antitrypsin Concentration of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Patients: Bong Suk Cha, Ho Keun Chung, Jeong Pyo Hong; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1990;2(1):34-43. Published online February 28, 1990; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1990.2.1.34

Abstract PDF: This study was performed to investigate associations between serum alpha(1)-antitrypsin(AAT) concentration and radiological categories of coal workers' pneumoconlosis(CWP), between AAT concentration and pulmonary complications such as tuberculosis and emphysema, and to study associations between AAT concentration and FEV(1.0)% in CWP patients, We classified 254 CWP patients in D Hospital into categories of small opacity profusion. And we selected 86 subjects by with or without emphysematous finding in each categories by proportional stratified sampling method. Semm AAT concentrations were quantkated by single radial immunodiffusion method, and the findings of chest radiographs were evaluated by radilogist. The results were as follows: 1. Serum AAT concentrations were not significantly different among groups of radiological categories of small opacities. 2. Complication of emphysema was associated with smoking habits sigmficantlyl(chi square=12.16, p<0,01). And AAT concentraLion was higher in smokers and ex-smokers than in non-smokers. Serum AAT concentration was significantly higher in the cases with emphysema than in the cdses without emphybema{p<0.01). 3. Serum AAT concentration of the group with active pulmonary tuberculosis was significantly higher than with inactive or without: pulmonary tuberculosis group(p<0.1). 4. Serum AAT concentration of the group with low FEV(1.0)% was significantly higher than with high or normal group(p<0.05).

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