Tuberculosis Screening for People With Chronic Conditions

Individuals with medical conditions that compromise their immune system, such as those with organ transplants, have a higher risk of an infection with tuberculosis (TB). These patients are not always screened for TB before treatment, and there is interest in knowing what the recommendations are regarding screening for TB in patients with existing chronic health conditions that compromise the immune system. In July 2020, CADTH searched the literature for evidence-based guidelines regarding TB screening for populations with existing chronic conditions. This report identified 1 systematic review of guidelines and 6 evidence-based guidelines– that met the inclusion criteria based on their title and abstract. The purpose of the current report is to review the full texts of these publications, and to summarize and critically appraise the eligible publications. This report is a component of a larger CADTH Condition Level Review on Tuberculosis. A condition level review is an assessment that incorporates all aspects of a condition, from prevention, detection, treatment of the patient, and management of the disease. For more information on CADTH’s Condition Level Review of Tuberculosis, please visit the project page (https://www.cadth.ca/tuberculosis).