Prevalence and risk factors of latent Tuberculosis among adolescents in rural Eastern Uganda

Background: Latent Tuberculosis treatment is a key tuberculosis control intervention. Adolescents are a high risk group that is not routinely treated in low income countries. Knowledge of latent Tuberculosis (TB) burden among adolescents may influence policy.
Objectives: We determined the prevalence and risk factors of latent TB infection among adolescents in rural Uganda.
Methods: We analyzed baseline data from a study that assessed the prevalence and incidence of Tuberculosis disease among adolescents. We extracted socio-demographics, medical assessment information, and tuberculin skin test results and estimated prevalence ratios (PR) of latent TB infection risk factors by binomial regression.
Results: The prevalence of latent TB was 16.1%, 95% CI (15.1 – 17.2). Significant risk factors were: a BCG scar, APR 1.29 (95% CI 1.12 – 1.48); male gender, APR 1.37 (95% CI 1.21 – 1.56); age 17 -18 years, APR 1.46 (95% CI 1.24 – 1.71) and 15-16 years, APR 1.25 (95% CI 1.07 – 1.46) compared to 12-14 years; being out of school, APR 1.31 (95% CI 1.05 – 1.62); and a known history of household TB contact in last 2 years, APR 1.91 (95% CI 1.55 – 2.35)
Conclusion: Targeted routine latent TB treatment among adolescents out of school may be crucial for TB disease control in low income countries.

Keywords
Latent tuberculosis infection, Adolescents, Risk factors, Tuberculin skin testing, Tuberculosis