Impact of travelling to high incidence countries on tuberculosis diagnostic delays among migrants: a retrospective study.

<title>Abstract</title> Background Most tuberculosis (TB) cases in high-income countries occur in foreign-born people, most of them coming from high incidence countries. However, migrants return more or less frequently to their birth countries. The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of travelling to high incidence countries on the diagnosis delay of tuberculosis in France. Methods a monocentric retrospective study of 224 consecutive cases followed at the Bas-Rhin Tuberculosis Prevention Centre. Results 59.3% of cases were born abroad. Migrants who did not develop TB soon after arrival and, who travelled since then to high incidence countries, had a mean diagnosis delay, since their last trip, comparable to median diagnostic delay among immigrants who did not travel since their arrival (3.2 vs 4.4 years, p = 0.42). Diagnostic delays are shorter among those reporting an exposition to TB during their journey (1.5 years vs 3.7 years, p = 0.2). Conclusion These results suggest a targeted information on the risk of TB and LTBI among those persons and screening for tuberculosis and LTBI, in certain cases, including vulnerable patients (dialysis, under immunosuppressant drugs including anti-TNF, HIV).