Clinical profile of patients with tuberculosis in Dschang, Cameroon: Role of the therapeutic path in delaying diagnosis.

The results of the fight against tuberculosis in Cameroon remain far from the WHO goals for the eradication of tuberculosis on a global scale, which aim to achieve a global incidence rate of fewer than 100 cases per million inhabitants by 2035. The objective of this study was to describe the social, demographic, and clinical profiles of all patients (n=59) with tuberculosis at the Saint Vincent de Paul Hospital in Dschang, Cameroon, over a one-year period, with an emphasis on their healthcare paths to identify potential factors that may explain delays in their diagnosis and follow-up. Epi Info Version 3.5.3 and Microsoft Excel 2013 software were used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed men accounted for 57.6% of the patients (sex ratio: 1.36). The participants' mean age was 41.87 ± 12 years. The mean duration from onset of first symptoms to the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of TB was 3.26 months. Initially 38.98%, sought care from illicit drug sellers (street sellers), 23.73% from hospital facilities, and 22.03% from traditional medicine practitioners. The influence of illicit drug sellers and traditional practitioners in delaying the diagnosis of these TB infections should be taken into account in national TB control policies in Cameroon.