Risk factors for tuberculosis incidence in Russia and the North Caucasus federal district at the current stage

Background. Analysis of risk factors for tuberculosis allows us to assess targeted areas in the fight against tuberculosis. Aim. To analyze risk factors for the spread of tuberculosis in Russia and the North Caucasus Federal District. Materials and methods. The study of risk factors was carried out according to literature data for 2016–2023 and epidemic statistics of tuberculosis for 2018–2022 for Russia and the North Caucasus Federal District. Results. Epidemic indicators of tuberculosis at the present stage are influenced by both endogenous and exogenous factors. Tuberculosis is still a socially significant disease. Social risk factors for tuberculosis include: inaccessible location and remoteness of the place of residence, difficult working and living conditions, marginal behavior, including poor sanitary and financial standards, the presence in a person’s biography of periods of detention in penitentiary institutions, the presence of homeless people, the presence of migrant workers. Medical risk factors for tuberculosis include: alcoholism, drug addiction, nicotine addiction, chronic nonspecific lung diseases, gastric ulcers and gastritis, diabetes mellitus, and oncological pathologies. Some of the above risk factors lead to the emergence of undertreated patients and increase the risk of developing tuberculosis in children who are in close contact with disadvantaged adults. The largest proportion of tuberculosis patients is noted to be of working age 35–44 years. The epidemic intensity of tuberculosis remains due to the presence of hidden and uncontrollable sources of infection in population groups for which anti-tuberculosis measures are difficult or impossible. HIV infection remains the main endogenous risk factor for tuberculosis. Conclusion. HIV infection and the spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis lead to the development of infectious foci with new characteristics. The incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is increasing in Russia and the North Caucasus Federal District; a sharp jump occurred in 2022 compared to 2021. The proportion of patients with a combination of tuberculosis and HIV infection among all patients with tuberculosis is constantly growing.