Pulmonary tuberculosis in the Central Prison of Douala, Cameroon.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in an urban prison in sub-Saharan Africa.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

The Central Prison of Douala, Cameroon.

RESULTS

Two thousand four hundred and seventy four (87.4%) out of 2830 inmates underwent screening. Twenty seven (1.1%) of the inmates were under treatment for smear-positive PTB on commencement of the survey while 60 (2.4%) were diagnosed with smear and/or culture-positive PTB during the active case finding, resulting in a point prevalence of PTB of 3.5%. HIV seroprevalence in inmates without clinical signs of PTB was 111/1067 (10.4%) while it amounted to 6/24 (25%) in PTB patients. In multiple stepwise regression analysis, a low BMI, a prison stay of < or = 12 months, and a history of previous incarceration were positively associated with PTB.

CONCLUSION

The study results confirm the high prevalence rates of PTB in prison populations and underscore the need for urgent preventive measures.