TUBERCULOSIS IN THE PRISON SYSTEM OF SANTA CATARINA: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS FROM 2014 TO 2024

Tuberculosis is an infectious and contagious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis , with a predilection for pulmonary involvement and high incidence in prison environments. It is transmitted through inhalation of aerosols expelled by infected individuals and is characterized by persistent cough, night sweats, and fever. The objective of this study was to observe the pattern of occurrence, diagnosis, and treatment of tuberculosis among persons deprived of liberty in Santa Catarina (SC). An analysis of tuberculosis cases in prison environments was conducted using data available from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) for the period from 2014 to 2024. The variables analyzed were sex, race, age group, health macro-region of notification, clinical form, laboratory confirmation, performance of Directly Observed Treatment (DOT), and case outcome. During the analyzed period, 1,608 tuberculosis cases were reported among persons deprived of liberty in SC. Of these, 94.03% occurred in men and 5.97% in women. White race was the most affected, accounting for 72.45% of cases, followed by Mixed-race race with 15.3%, Black race with 9.02%, and Yellow, Indigenous, or unknown race, which together totaled 3.23%. Most cases (41.08%) occurred among individuals aged 25 to 54 years, followed by the 0 to 24 age group with 25.62% and those older than 55 years with 4.46%. In the macro-region analysis, Greater Florianópolis led with 23.26% of cases, followed by the Foz do Rio Itajaí region with 16.95%, North and Northeast Plateau with 16.45%, Vale do Itajaí with 16.32%, South with 15.13%, Greater West with 6%, Midwest with 3.81%, and Serra Catarinense with 2.06%. Regarding clinical form, 88.43% were pulmonary, 7.96% extrapulmonary, and 3.61% mixed. Of these, only 80.72% had laboratory confirmation. DOT was performed in 67.91% of cases; in 23.01% the information was not recorded, and in 9.08% it was not performed. Regarding outcomes, 70.15% progressed to cure, 9.89% abandoned treatment, 1.93% died from other causes, 1.12% died from tuberculosis, and in 16.91% of cases the information was not recorded or included other outcomes. Thus, this panorama reinforces the high vulnerability of the prison environment to tuberculosis and the need to strengthen disease control strategies, including prevention actions, early diagnosis, adequate treatment, and improvement in the quality of reporting.