An epidemiological study on the reported cases of tuberculosis in Mazandaran (1999-2008) using spatial design

Background and purpose: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Iran is about 13 in 100000 people and this rate in Golestan and Sistan & Balouchestan Provinces is the highest. Due to the proximity of Golestan to Mazandaran, this epidemiological survey has been done to identify the high risk locations by using of disease mapping of tuberculosis incidence rate. Materials and methods: This observational longitudinal survey was performed on the cases occurred between 1999 and 2008. The characteristics of the total cases of 2,444 were taken from tuberculosis admission book. The epidemiological and demographical variables including age, gender, year, location, and others characteristics were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics methods by statistical package of SAS and SPSS. Results: From 2,444 patients, 1,283 (52.5%) were male and 47.5% were female. 61 percent were city dwellers, 39 percent were from rural areas and 96.4 % were Iranians. The highest incidence rate of TB was seen in Behshahr with rate of 19.39 and the lowest rate in Joybar with the rate of 6.45. Conclusion: The prevalence of TB cases in Mazandaran is lower than other provinces such as Guilan and Golestan. In addition, late diagnosis of TB in Mazandaran was higher than other provinces such as Khorasan Razavi and Kordestan. The delay in TB diagnosis in Iran is longer than other in countries such as the UK and Nepal. The results of this study can provide useful information for health care services providers and policy makers to mange the disease by implementing appropriate and timely interventions.