Analysis of the dynamics of tuberculosis incidence in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in 2020–2023.

According to WHO, tuberculosis remains one of the infectious diseases that kills the largest number of people in the world. Since 2014, there has been an upward trend in the incidence of tuberculosis worldwide, with the exception of 2020, when this figure decreased. In 2022, the number of people newly diagnosed with tuberculosis was 7.5 million. This is the highest rate since WHO began global monitoring of tuberculosis in 1995, which is likely due to limited access to medical services during the COVID‑19 pandemic. In contrast to global trends, the Russian Federation has seen favorable dynamics in the main indicators for tuberculosis since 2009. To assess the real epidemiological situation regarding tuberculosis, it is important to study the incidence of tuberculosis. The purpose of this study was to study the dynamics of the incidence of tuberculosis in the Kabardino-Balkarian republic in 2020–2023 in order to identify the main problems in the epidemiological situation. Materials and methods. A comparative analysis of the incidence of tuberculosis in 2020–2023 was carried out according to statistical materials from the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution of Ministry of Health of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic “Republican Anti-Tuberculosis Dispensary” for a 4-year period following the results of 2020–2023 after copying information and analyzing time series. Results. In the period from 2020 to 2023, against the backdrop of an improvement in tuberculosis incidence rates among first-time cases, an increase was revealed: the proportion of bacilli excretors with respiratory tuberculosis by 3.9%, including the proportion of patients with multidrug resistance among them by 17.8%; as well as the share of patients with fibrous cavernous tuberculosis of organs of morbidity by 10.4%, the share of cases with a phase of complications with organ tuberculosis by 5%, the share of patients with disseminated tuberculosis by 103.3%, the share of patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis by 25%, the incidence of the child population 0–17 years old – by 60.3%, 0–14 years old – by 54.5%, 15–17 years old – by 108.7%. Conclusions. Against the background of a decrease in the main indicators of tuberculosis incidence among the population of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in 2020–2023, significant changes have occurred in the structure of the tuberculosis process. The results of the study require a systematic analysis of the treatment and diagnostic process of the anti-tuberculosis service and other medical organizations with the subsequent development of management decisions to improve the efficiency of the implementation of the regional plan of anti-tuberculosis measures in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.