TEMPORAL TREND AND CLINICAL-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TUBERCULOSIS IN ALAGOAS, BRAZIL

Abstract

Tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains among the leading causes of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the temporal trend and the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of tuberculosis in Alagoas, Brazil, from 2015 to 2024. This is an ecological, descriptive time-series study using data from SINAN and population estimates from IBGE/DATASUS. Cases and incidence rates followed Sustainable Development Goals indicator 3.3.2, and the trend was assessed by Prais-Winsten regression. A total of 10,254 cases were recorded, with an incidence rate of 31.98 per 100,000 inhabitants, highest in 2018 (36.00) and lowest in 2020 (27.31). Males (64.37%), people aged 20 to 39 years (39.66%), people of mixed race (66.54%) and residents of the 1st Health Region (56.71%) predominated. Pulmonary tuberculosis (83.46%), new cases (93.59%) and cure (62.49%) were the most frequent; treatment abandonment reached 10.02%, and 39.88% of cases had no laboratory confirmation. The highest incidence rates occurred among males, in the 40 to 59 age group and in the 1st Health Region. Incidence was stationary in the state (APC=+0.3%; 95%CI: −2.8; 3.4; p=0.844; DW=1.492) and in all strata. Tuberculosis remains a relevant public health problem in Alagoas, with no reduction in incidence over the last decade and an unequal distribution across population groups and territories, which reinforces the need to strengthen surveillance and access to diagnosis and treatment.