Covid-19 was associated with delays in tuberculosis (TB) treatment because the pandemic made it difficult for TB patients to visit medical institutions, a Korean study showed.
Korea has the highest TB incidence and mortality rates among OECD members.
In 2020, 1,356 Koreans died from TB, which was 1.5 times more than the deaths caused by Covid-19. TB remains the No. 1 killer among infectious diseases in Korea.
A joint research team, led by Professor Kim Ju-sang of internal medicine at Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, released the study comparing hospital visits and treatment delays of TB patients before and after the pandemic in the Journal of Korean Medical Science (JKMS).
The research team used the national public-private mix (PPM) TB control project data.
The research team retrieved data from 1,557 patients enrolled in the TB control project from January to May 2020. Among them, 724 patients registered in January and February were categorized as “before-pandemic group,” and the rest 833, “during-pandemic group.”
The comparison of the two groups showed that the proportion of TB healthcare delays more than five days was significantly higher in the during-pandemic and before-pandemic groups.
Invasion of TB to areas other than the lungs or warning symptoms such as chest pain and hemoptysis were also associated with delayed treatment.
The proportion of TB patients visiting a medical institution 14 days after symptoms were similar between the two groups.
“Since TB and Covid-19 share similar symptoms, patients presenting these symptoms have become a high alert during the pandemic and thus had priority and relatively easy access to hospitals during the early pandemic in Korea,” the research team said. “Recent significant decrements of TB notification after the COVID-19 surge in Korea signals the under-diagnosis and under-notification of TB cases.”
The findings confirmed that TB patients had treatment delays during the early pandemic, the research team went on to say. “To brace for a prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, we should prepare long-term response measures,” the researchers said.