Magnitude and trends of: a retrospective cross-sectional study at Hargeisa TB Hospital, Hargeisa, Somaliland.

INTRODUCTION: tuberculosis (TB) is among the world´s top 10 infectious diseases, causing 1.5 million deaths annually, mostly in low-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate the magnitude and trends of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

METHODS: data from 18,280 presumptive TB clients enrolled between January 2020 and December 2023 at Hargeisa TB Hospital were analyzed using the GeneXpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to rifampicin assay. Data were entered into Excel, analyzed with SPSS v27, and assessed using Chi-square tests. Logistic regression was performed to estimate Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI).

RESULTS: a total of 18,280 presumptive tuberculosis (TB) patients were included, with a mean age of 38.7 &#xb1; 20.2 years. Males accounted for 62.5% of the study population. Overall, 1,614 patients (8.8%) tested positive for TB. TB prevalence was higher in males (6.2%) than in females (2.6%), with males having greater odds of detection (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.55; 95% CI: 1.38-1.73; p<0.001). Rifampicin resistance was identified in 43 cases (2.7%), more frequently in males (1.7%) than females (1.0%). TB detection declined from 10.2% in 2020 to 7.2% in 2023. The likelihood of rifampicin resistance was significantly higher in 2021-2023 compared with 2020 (AOR 9.29; 95% CI: 2.10-41.06; p<0.001 for 2021).

CONCLUSION: the study revealed a significant burden of tuberculosis (TB) among presumptive pulmonary cases, with rifampicin resistance observed among confirmed patients.