Evaluation of the epidemiological aspects and the  impact of COVID-19 on tuberculosis notifications in  São Paulo

Talita Antunes Antoniolli  Pontes; Renan Augusto  Ramos; Janine Pedroso  Scolaro; Fernanda Stumpf  Tonin; Bruno Salgado  Riveros; Astrid  Wiens

Talita Antunes Antoniolli Pontes Programa de Pós-graduação em Assistência Farmacêutica, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8663-8042
Renan Augusto Ramos Departamento Regional de Saúde DRS XII, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo, Registro, SP, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0035-5288
Janine Pedroso Scolaro Prefeitura de Registro, Registro, SP, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5944-981X
Fernanda Stumpf Tonin Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4262-8608
Bruno Salgado Riveros MAPESolutions, São Paulo, SP, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9701-2002
Astrid Wiens Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4460-4044

Keywords: Tuberculosis, Epidemiological Monitoring, Health Profile, Cross-Sectional Study, Coronavirus

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the incidence and epidemiological profile of tuberculosis (TB) cases registered in a region of the State of São Paulo (SP) and to assess the impact of COVID19 on TB incidence and completeness of notifications. Methods: This is a retrospective crosssectional study analyzing reports of adult patients with TB, who were notified in the TB-Web from January 2010 to December 2020. Sociodemographic (e.g. sex, race and scholarity) and clinical variables (e.g., clinical form, types of cases and comorbidities) were collected and analyzed. The completeness of TB notifications and the impact of COVID-19 on TB notifications were evaluated, considering the year of 2020. The study was reported following Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist for cross-sectional studies [CAAE 33166620.0.0000.0102]. Results: A total of 1,509 notifications were included, with a mean incidence of 48.5/100,000 inhabitants. The median age was 42 years, most notification included males (71%), were of white race (42%) and had the pulmonary form of TB (85%). In assessing the impact of the pandemic on notifications in 2020, there was a decrease of 36% in the number of TB notifications, with an emphasis between July and August, which was the peak period of COVID-19 cases in the region. No change in the completeness of TB notifications was observed in this period. Conclusions: Results indicate the clinical and epidemiological profile in a region of SP between 2010 and 2020. The pandemic led to a decrease in the number of TB notifications but did not change the completeness of notifications.