Risk Factors of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Healthcare Workers in Tertiary Hospital

Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a major public health concern in Thailand and worldwide. Screening high-risk healthcare workers (HCWs) for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) constitutes one of the interventions outlined in the End TB Strategy of the World Health Organization. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) offer accurate diagnosis but are limited by cost and laboratory facilities. Identifying risk factors for LTBI can enhance the efficiency of targeted screening and diagnostic testing in HCWs. This retrospective study aimed to identify the risk factors for LTBI in HCWs with a history of close contact with smear-positive TB patients at a tertiary hospital in Phitsanulok province between July 2021 and February 2022. A total of 512 cases, there were 94 cases (18.4%) with positive IGRAs results and 418 cases (81.6%) with negative IGRAs results. The important risk factors for LTBI were female sex (mOR 5.8; 95%CI: 1.4-24.2), age 31-40 years (mOR 4.5; 95%CI: 1.7-12.1), age 41-50 years (mOR 7.4; 95%CI: 2.2-24.5), age over 50 years (mOR 6.0; 95%CI: 1.4-26.4) and working in the inpatient department (mOR 4.0; 95%CI: 1.8-8.6). In conclusion, if there are budget constraints in screening high-risk HCWs with a history of close contact with smear-positive TB patients for LTBI, females, over 30 years old, and working in the inpatient department are high-risk groups that should be considered for IGRAs testing as the top priority