Research on large-scale tuberculosis screening in the elderly rural population.
- 1Department of Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangshan, Zhejiang, 324100, China.
- 2Department of Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangshan, Zhejiang, 324100, China. [email protected].
- 3Department of Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Quzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Quzhou, Zhejiang, 324000, China. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant public health challenge, particularly among the elderly population. To address this issue, a large-scale TB screening initiative was conducted in Jiangshan City, focusing on individuals aged 65 and older.Methods
This study conducted comprehensive screening of 72,716 elderly participants to identify TB cases. Demographic data were meticulously analyzed, and multivariate analysis was used to determine factors associated with TB. The number needed to screen (NNS) was calculated across different conditions to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening implementation in various risk groups.Results
During the study period, a total of 187 TB cases were diagnosed, with a prevalence of 257 cases per 100,000 population. The NNS to detect one TB case was 389 among all participants, with variations observed across different risk subgroups. Males, individuals with a BMI < 18.5, and those with a history of TB were identified as high-risk populations. Furthermore, differences in blood biochemical parameters were identified between TB patients and healthy individuals, with TB patients demonstrating slightly elevated platelet counts and lower total cholesterol levels.Conclusion
This study provides exploratory findings on the implementation of population-wide active TB screening among elderly individuals, with a non-statistically significant 10% increase in case detection compared with conventional passive surveillance systems (1.10, 95% CI: 0.85-1.43). Among male participants, the observed detection rate ratio was 1.30 (95% CI: 0.96-1.76, non-statistically significant). Our results identify three demographic and clinical parameters - male sex, poor nutritional status, and a history of previous TB - that showed cross-sectional associations with TB detection in this screening setting, suggesting they may warrant further investigation for potential inclusion in future screening protocols.Clinical trial
Not applicable.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026research,
title = {{Research on large-scale tuberculosis screening in the elderly rural population.}},
author = {Junwei Li and Yuexia Wang and Qingrong Zhou and Ping Wang and Bing Li and Guoping Cao},
journal = {BMC infectious diseases},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12879-026-14167-9},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972280},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Research on large-scale tuberculosis screening in the elderly rural population.
AU - Junwei Li
AU - Yuexia Wang
AU - Qingrong Zhou
AU - Ping Wang
AU - Bing Li
AU - Guoping Cao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/04
JO - BMC infectious diseases
DO - 10.1186/s12879-026-14167-9
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972280
AB - Background Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose a significant public health challenge, particularly among the elderly population. To address this issue, a large-scale TB screening initiative was conducted in Jiangshan City, focusing on individuals aged 65 and older.Methods This study conducted comprehensive screening of 72,716 elderly participants to identify TB cases. Demographic data were meticulously analyzed, and multivariate analysis was used to determine factors associated with TB. The number needed to screen (NNS) was calculated across different conditions to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening implementation in various risk groups.Results During the study period, a total of 187 TB cases were diagnosed, with a prevalence of 257 cases per 100,000 population. The NNS to detect one TB case was 389 among all participants, with variations observed across different risk subgroups. Males, individuals with a BMI < 18.5, and those with a history of TB were identified as high-risk populations. Furthermore, differences in blood biochemical parameters were identified between TB patients and healthy individuals, with TB patients demonstrating slightly elevated platelet counts and lower total cholesterol levels.Conclusion This study provides exploratory findings on the implementation of population-wide active TB screening among elderly individuals, with a non-statistically significant 10% increase in case detection compared with conventional passive surveillance systems (1.10, 95% CI: 0.85-1.43). Among male participants, the observed detection rate ratio was 1.30 (95% CI: 0.96-1.76, non-statistically significant). Our results identify three demographic and clinical parameters - male sex, poor nutritional status, and a history of previous TB - that showed cross-sectional associations with TB detection in this screening setting, suggesting they may warrant further investigation for potential inclusion in future screening protocols.Clinical trial Not applicable.
SN - 1471-2334
ER -