LATENT TUBERCULOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CROHN'S DISEASE IN A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background Among chronic condition problems, tuberculosis still represents a serious public health problem globally. Objective To investigate latent tuberculosis infection in patients with Crohn's disease. Retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study of quantitative analysis. Methods The research was conducted on diagnosed cases of Crohn's disease at the University Hospital located in a city in Northeastern Brazil. All cases of patients with Crohn's disease undergoing isoniazid or rifampicin therapy for latent tuberculosis (LTBI) were included in the study. The data obtained were subsequently subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Results We analyzed 235 medical records, and it was observed that 56% were male, with a mean age of 42.7. Among these, 54% declared themselves as brown, 31% had completed high school, and 47% were residents of the city of Teresina. Regarding the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the studied patients classified as having ILTB, 34% of the medical records were diagnosed by tuberculin test, 48.51% were investigated by x-ray examination, and the recent location affected the colon with 27%. Conclusion Overall, the health profile of the participants in this study aligns with findings previously established in the literature, particularly studies conducted in other Brazilian states, as well as in other developing countries.