Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Hospitalisation Patterns at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rajasthan, India: a Retrospective Analysis

Overview

Journal BMJ Open

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2024 May 3

PMID 38702079

Authors

Sumit Rajotiya

Shivang Mishra

Anurag Kumar Singh

Sourav Debnath

Preeti Raj

Pratima Singh

Hemant Bareth

Prashant Nakash

Anupama Sharma

Mahaveer Singh

Deepak Nathiya

Nalin Joshi

Balvir Singh Tomar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) trends, patient demographics, disease types and hospitalisation duration within the Respiratory Medicine Department over three distinct phases: pre-COVID-19, COVID-19 and post-COVID-19.

Design: Retrospective analysis using electronic medical records of patients with TB admitted between June 2018 and June 2023 was done to explore the impact of COVID-19 on patients with TB. The study employed a meticulous segmentation into pre-COVID-19, COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 eras.

Setting: National Institute of Medical Science Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures: Primary outcome includes patients admitted to the Respiratory Medicine Department of the hospital and secondary outcome involves the duration of hospital stay.

Results: The study encompassed 1845 subjects across the three eras, revealing a reduction in TB incidence during the post-COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 period (p<0.01). Substantial demographic shifts were observed, with 5.2% decline in TB incidence among males in the post-COVID-19 era (n=529) compared with the pre-COVID-19 era (n=606). Despite the decrease, overall TB incidence remained significantly higher in males (n=1460) than females (n=385), with consistently elevated rates in rural (65.8%) as compared with the urban areas (34.2%). Extended hospital stays were noted in the post-COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era (p<0.01).

Conclusion: The study underscores the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TB landscape and hospitalisation dynamics. Notably, patient burden of TB declined during the COVID-19 era, with a decline in the post-COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. Prolonged hospitalisation in the post-COVID-19 period indicates the need for adaptive healthcare strategies and the formulation of public health policies in a post-pandemic context. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the evolving TB scenario, emphasising the necessity for tailored healthcare approaches in the aftermath of a global health crisis.

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