Abstract:

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of tuberculosis patients with interprovincial mobility in China (excluding Taiwan Province and Hongkong and Macao special administrative regions) from 2018 to 2022, so as to improve the prevention, control strategies and management measures for the patients across regions. Methods: The transfer-in and transfer-out records and medical record information of tuberculosis patients from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2022, were extracted from the “Surveillance Report Management” module of the “China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention”. Descriptive analyses were conducted on demographic characteristics, patient flow patterns, and treatment management features. Results: From 2018 to 2022, a total of 7547 tuberculosis patients with cross-provincial mobility were registered nationwide, accounting for 0.23% (7547/3261391) of the registered tuberculosis patients. The male-to-female ratio was 2.12∶1 (5130∶2417). The middle-aged group aged 25-59 years accounted for the largest proportion (63.91%, 4823/7547), those with the occupation of farmers, herdsmen and fishermen accounted for 36.28% (2738/7547), and those from the eastern region accounted for 49.83% (3761/7547). Patients transferred out from six provinces, namely Guangdong, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Hunan, accounted for 61.47% (4639/7547) of the total cross-provincial transferred patients. Patients transferred out from Guangdong (1844 cases) and Zhejiang (930 cases) in the eastern provinces mainly flowed into Hunan (20.66%, 381/1844) and Guizhou (36.34%, 338/930), respectively; patients transferred out from Hunan (377 cases) in the central province mainly flowed into Guangdong (54.91%, 207/377); and patients transferred out from Guangxi (501 cases), Sichuan (418 cases), and Guizhou (569 cases) in the western provinces (autonomous region) mainly flowed into Guangdong (49.50%, 248/501), Guangdong (35.17%, 147/418), and Zhejiang (43.41%, 247/569), respectively. The arrival rate of tuberculosis patients with cross-provincial mobility was 84.17% (6352/7547). The non-arrival rate of retreatment patients (22.02%, 72/327) was higher than that of newly treated patients (15.55%, 1123/7220)(χ²=9.809, P=0.002). The non-arrival rate was higher in patients treated for <30 days (17.23%, 454/2635) compared those treated for ≥ 30 days (15.09%, 741/4912)(χ²=5.916, P=0.015). The duration from transfer to arrival of 26.78% (1701/6352) of the patients exceeded 14 days. Conclusion: The interprovincial mobility of tuberculosis patients in China primarily occurs in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Sichuan. Active screening of migrant workers from high tuberculosis burden areas should be strengthened, and a collaborative mechanism for patient management in high mobility provinces should be established to ensure continuous care for mobile patients.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary, Mobile population, Epidemiologic study characteristics as topic, Public health administration