Elderly, Indigenous Populations in Taiwan Face TB Diagnosis, Treatment Delays, Study Says

Indigenous populations and older people in Taiwan are more likely to face delays in tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, according to a study published recently in the journal BMC Public Health, the Taipei Times reports.

For the study, Pesus Chou of National Yang Ming University's public health department and colleagues examined 78,118 TB cases from the national TB reporting system between 2002 and 2006. According to the study's findings, about 24.9% of cases experienced a TB diagnosis delay and about 20.3% of cases experienced a treatment delay. The study classified a diagnosis delay as a period of longer than nine days between medical examination and diagnosis. Researchers defined a treatment delay as a period of longer than two days between diagnosis and the start of treatment. According to Chou, older people and people who lived with their families experienced delayed diagnosis more frequently than those who lived alone. In addition, indigenous populations and those who lived alone were more likely to experience treatment delays, she said.

According to Chou, delays in TB treatment and diagnosis are a cause for concern because they could "result in more extensive disease and more complications, which in turn leads to a higher mortality rate." In addition, Chou said that regions with large indigenous populations often lack sufficient medical resources. She added that TB mortality rates are "much greater" among indigenous communities than among non-indigenous communities (Wang, Taipei Times, 3/16).

The study is available online.