Geodemographic analysis of tuberculosis patients in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Karachi, Pakistan, and even with the discovery of other infectious diseases no signicant change is evident in its epidemiological prole while analyzing the temporal incidence. There is signicant evidence to support the fact that poverty is the leading cause of TB. A number of scholarly analyses have documented associations among patients' characteristics (sex, age group); social factors (education, origin of the patient, smoking, alcohol and drug use); environmental factors (house types, room density, source of water, garbage collection and disposal), and economic factors etc. The purpose of the present study is to provide cogent and relevant arguments for the characteristics of tuberculosis patients in terms of social and economic proles in the study area. Forty-nine selected variables have been used in the present study for analysis. Three factors have emerged as responsible for the spread of tuberculosis in the study area. An insight into variables for Factor I reveals that features related to urbanization appear to be categorically responsible for the spread of TB in Karachi, especially among the white collar persons and low, middle-class residents. The results of the present study can help the city authorities for improving downtown areas renovation as per quality of life demand.

Social Determinants of Tuberculosis in Developing Countries

“…Some studies found that there was a relationship between tuberculosis and educational status (Abdallah & Ali 2012;Harling, G., Ehrlich & Myer 2008;Hussain, H, Akhtar & Nanan 2003;Jethani et al 2013;Jurcev-Savicevic et al 2013;Kaulagekar & Radkar 2007;Miandad et al 2015;Tesema et al 2015). The others studies reveal that illiteracy was a risk factor contributing to tuberculosis dissemination (Shafee et al 2013).…”

“…There was a relationship between TB and inadequate housing (Jurcev-Savicevic et al 2013). The others studies found that tuberculosis has a positive asociation with household hygiene and poor ventilation (Harling, G., Ehrlich & Myer 2008;Kiboss & Kibitok 2003;Miandad et al 2015;Taher-Ghasemi et al 2016;Tesema et al 2015). Furthermore, some studies reveal that the risk of TB was increased because of crowding in the household (Firdaus & Ahmad 2013;Gyawali et al 2012;Kiboss & Kibitok 2003;Kibret et al 2013;Shafee et al 2013;Sial et al ;Tesema et al 2015).…”

“…Poverty was the prominent theme that emerging from most studies. Most of the studies revealed that there is a strong association between TB and poverty (Acosta & Bassanesi 2014;Amwayi, Kikuvi & Muchiri 2010;Boccia et al 2011;Egbagbe, Okojie & Amaize 2011;Gyawali et al 2012;Jethani et al 2013;Miandad et al 2015;Odone et al 2013;Romaszko et al 2008;Shafee et al 2013;Tipayamongkholgul, Podang & Siri 2013;Wong et al 2013). The other study highlighted that the poor will most often be infected with TB if they have associated co morbidities such as Malnutrition, diabetes, and HIV (Arianna, MaríaTeresa & Carlos 2014).…”

“…A single study points out that there was an association between TB and urbanization (Miandad et al 2015).…”

“…The first is the effect of poverty on living conditions, such as people living in overcrowded and poorly ventilated houses (Marais, Hesseling & Cotton 2009). The poor are forced to live in unhealthy housing that support the viability of the Micobacterium (Miandad et al 2015). The second way is prolonged diagnostic delay (Marais, Hesseling & Cotton 2009).…”