Gender differences in delays in diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

Karim, Fazlul; Islam, Md. Akramul; Chowdhury, A Mushtaque R; Johansson, Eva; Diwan, Vinod

doi:10.1093/heapol/czm026

Cited by 109 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Similar reasons were described in another study: patients "thought symptoms would go away" and "symptoms not considered serious" 13 . It has also been reported that patients awaiting symptoms resolution without specific treatment and can assign them to viral infections 26,27,28,29,30 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health care seeking behavior and patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis

2015

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Delays in diagnosis of TB cases are major impeding factors in the control of TB. The objectives of this study were to describe the health care seeking behavior of TB patients, assessing patient delay and the number of health care facilities visited before the start of TB treatment. A cross-sectional study was carried out with adult patients with pulmonary TB presenting to two TB facilities to start treatment. We found a median patient delay of 20 days. The factors associated negatively with patient delay in multivariate analysis were weight loss, and have sought treatment because of the first symptom. We also demonstrated that 44.8% of patients incorrectly reported the mode of transmission of TB. In addition, the local of first attendance was an emergency room of public hospitals in 37.3% of patients. We demonstrated that the median patient delay in TB diagnosis in two TB services in a region with a high prevalence of TB was 20 days, and the protective factors associated with this delay in multivariate analysis were weight loss, and have sought treatment because of the first symptom.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health care seeking behavior and patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis

2015

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“…6 Karim et al mentioned that female TB patients experienced signifi cantly longer delays than males in health care seeking, diagnosis and initiation of DOTS-based treatment. 6 Many other studies conducted in different settings also found that delays at every stage of health care seeking and the clinical process of TB control were signifi cantly longer in females than in males. 12,21-23 However, we did not fi nd any signifi cant associations between sex and treatment delay in our study.…”

Section: Other Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,7 Delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation may aggravate disease conditions and clinical outcomes, and enhance transmission of TB in the community. 8,9 This is a major public health problem in densely populated countries such as Bangladesh.…”

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confidence: 99%

Factors associated with treatment delay among tuberculosis patients referred from a tertiary hospital in Dhaka City: a cross-sectional study

Htike¹,

Islam

Hasan

et al. 2013

public health action

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“…In a large variety of conditions, such as coronary artery disease [8,11,18], Parkinson's disease [9], irritable bowel syndrome [19], neck pain [20], knee joint arthrosis [21] and tuberculosis [10], men are investigated and treated more extensively than women with the same severity of symptoms. In a recent study of treatment in psoriasis, the number of patients and the severity of the disease did not differ between men and women, yet there was far more expenditures for clinic-based treatment for male patients, than female patients who received emollients for self-care to a greater extent [22].…”

Section: Gender Bias In Clinical Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is also evidence that women, for no apparent medical reason, are not offered the same treatment as men, a phenomenon that raises the question of gender bias. Many studies, for example, show that women are less likely than men to receive more advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventions [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

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confidence: 99%

Gender Bias in Medicine

Hamberg

2008

Womens Health (Lond Engl)

244

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Gender bias has implications in the treatment of both male and female patients and it is important to take into consideration in most fields of medical research, clinical practice and education. Gender blindness and stereotyped preconceptions about men and women are identified as key causes to gender bias. However, exaggeration of observed sex and gender differences can also lead to bias. This article will examine the phenomenon of gender bias in medicine, present useful concepts and models for the understanding of bias, and outline areas of interest for further research. Research has shown that different biological processes, anatomies, conditions in daily life, environmental experiences, risk behaviors and responses to stressful events, may all contribute to variation in health and disease in men and women [1-5]. There is also evidence that women, for no apparent medical reason, are not offered the same treatment as men, a phenomenon that raises the question of gender bias. Many studies, for example, show that women are less likely than men to receive more advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventions [6-11]. The word bias means 'prejudice' or 'distortion' and is a threatening phenomenon in all kinds of research and human activity. When we talk about gender bias in medicine we usually either mean an unintended, but systematic neglect of either women or men, stereotyped preconceptions about the health, behavior, experiences, needs, wishes and so on, of men and women, or neglect of gender issues relevant to the topic of interest. Gender bias has implications in treatment of both male and female patients and it is important to take into consideration in most fields of medical research, clinical practice and education. Gender bias is also a relevant issue in the discussion of clinical and academic advancements and careers [12]; however, that aspect is not the focus of this article. Since there is confusion in medicine about the use of the concept of gender [13], my use of the term is presented below.

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Gender differences in delays in diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

Abstract: Compared with men, women experienced longer delays at various stages of the clinical process of help seeking for TB. This warrants appropriate measures to improve the situation.

Cited by 109 publications

References 6 publications

Health care seeking behavior and patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis

Health care seeking behavior and patient delay in tuberculosis diagnosis

Factors associated with treatment delay among tuberculosis patients referred from a tertiary hospital in Dhaka City: a cross-sectional study

Gender Bias in Medicine

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