Detection of respiratory symptoms in the public health network of Belém, Pará State, Brazil

Abstract

Tuberculosis is considered a serious public health problem, and the identification of its respiratory symptoms is of extreme importance to facilitate a precocious diagnosis of the disease. This study aimed to discover the number of respiratory symptomatic patients identified among the people that sought treatment in the local public health network, as well as the number of individuals not identified as symptomatic by its health care providers. Twenty-one health care units in Belém, Pará State, were involved in this study, and 1,008 individuals were surveyed. Selection and analysis of the data collected was carried out using Epi-Info Version 6.0B software. The prevalence rate of respiratory symptomatic patients was 10.03%; their identification was not carried out in 72% of the cases. Of the identified ones, 33% were directed for sputum examination. There was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.07) in the association between the question of cough and its duration. This identification through the search for patients with chronic cough should be a procedure incorporated in the Health Units' daily routine, in order to facilitate an early diagnosis and the immediate treatment of bacilliferous cases, as a form of breaking the transmission chain of the disease.