[Tuberculosis in the Department of Seine-Saint Denis. I. Cases under treatment in 1984].

A prospective study of notified cases of tuberculosis started on treatment during 1984 in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis situated in the northern suburb of Paris was undertaken with the help of the Ministry of Health, and the National Committee for the Prevention of Tuberculosis. Fifty-seven hospitals were involved as were 42 sanatoria, 19 clinics and private hospitals and 157 doctors enabled 578 cases of tuberculosis to be registered. For these 578 cases there were 884 notifications coming principally from the control services of the Social Security and public hospitals. Although several sources of notification had declared the same patient, no source had registered all the patients of whom they had knowledge. The notifications made on 12 different forms were often incomplete and sometimes erroneous. Of the 578 patients declared there were 34 different nationalities, of whom 190 were French, approximately 33%; 87 were Algerian, or 15%; 83 came from Mali, or 14%. The study compared the level of notification of tuberculosis in the French, Algerians and those from Mali and has shown that they are six times higher amongst Algerians than the French population and 39 times higher in those from Mali than in the French population. The proportion of patients already treated were 11% and those patients suffering from exclusively extra-respiratory tuberculosis was 16%. A bacteriological and/or histological confirmation was obtained in 70% of cases. The study of the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients has enabled a portrayal of the representation of unskilled workers and the unemployed in comparison to the general population of the department.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)