Title:Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis (LTB) Among Pregnant Women in a High Burden Setting in Sudan using Interferon Gamma (IFN- γ) Releasing Assay (IGRA)
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Author(s): Khalid Yassin, Elbashir G.E. Ahmed, Abdualmoniem O. Musa, Hamdan Z. Hamdan, Nadir Abuzied, Asma A. Fagear, Gamal K. Adam, Tajeldin M. Abdalla and AbdelAziem A. Ali*
Affiliation:
- Faculty of Medicine, Kassala University, Kassala,Sudan
Keywords:
Tuberculosis, pregnancy, gamma interferon, infection, sudan, diabetes mellitus.
Abstract:
Background: Accurate timing for diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis (LTB) is
important to reduce morbidity and mortality for both mother and child.
Objectives: To investigate the prevalence rate of LTB and its associated factors during pregnancy
using gamma interferon (IFN- γ) release assay (IGRA).
Methods: A cross-sectional facility-based study carried out in Kassala hospital, Eastern Sudan between
January and March 2015.
Results: Two hundred and forty-nine women were enrolled in this study and 18.1% (45/249) had
confirmed positive for M. tuberculosis infection using IGRA. The mean age, parity and gestational
age of the LTB patients were 29.6 (4.4), 2.2 (1.2) and 21.9 (8.8), respectively. The vast majority of
these patients was of rural residence (72.7%), housewives (91.1%) and illiterate (73.3%). More than
half (25, 55.6%) gave a history of contact with tuberculosis patients, 26.7% (12/45) were vaccinated
and 11.1% (5/45) had a medical history of diabetes mellitus. In logistic regression model, while age,
parity, education, occupation, size of family members, smoking, BCG status and medical history of
diabetes mellitus were not associated with latent tuberculosis during pregnancy, history of contact
with TB patients (OR=13.5; CI=5.6 to 32.5; P<0.001) and rural residence (OR=0.3; CI=0.1 to 0.7;
P=0.006) was significantly correlated to LTB in pregnancy.
Conclusion: Thus, screening of all pregnant women living in high burden setting of tuberculosis is
recommended even in the absence of overt clinical signs of the disease.