CHAPTER III - ILLNESS PERCEPTION & UTILIZATION OF HEALTH FACILITIES <<Back
 
a) Community Survey Based
 
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AU : Sophia Vijay, Krishna Murthy MS & Srikantaramu N
TI : Fate of pulmonary tuberculosis patients diagnosed in a prevalence survey – A socio- epidemiological follow up after five years
SO : INDIAN J TB 1998, 45, 199-205.
DT : Per
AB :

The study group constitutes 86 ‘cases’ and 341 ‘suspects’ diagnosed in a TB prevalence survey. The area of the survey was under cover of the NTP for more than 20 years. The observed fate of these cases after five year was: dead 58.3%, culture negative 30% and culture positive 11.7%. Comparison of these rates with age standardised rates of ‘cases’ followed up after 5 years in an adjacent area, where control measures were not undertaken revealed that both these rates were not statistically different. The findings suggest that the same natural dynamics of TB as observed under the non-intervention situation, obtained in the study area as well, despite the latter being under the cover of NTP for so long.

Suspects, epidemiologically, proved to be a low priority group as the breakdown rate observed among them over five years was as low as 3.3%, again similar to the findings in the non-intervention area of a longitudinal survey.

A sociological enquiry revealed that cardinal symptoms of TB persisted even after five years in 65% of cases and 55% of suspects. Action taking behaviour indicated that more than half the patients, reported to GHS for remedial measures, while none of the ‘asymptomatics’ approached any health centre. These findings suggest that ‘symptoms’ are the driving force for patients to seek medical advice and the NTP still has the potential to bring these self-reporting cases within its network.

KEY WORDS: SOCIAL ACTION; SOCIO-EPIDEMIOLOGY; SOCIAL INQUIRY; INDIA
 
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