Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Residents of Social Housing

The objective: to assess the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among people living in social housing. Subjects and Methods. Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) was analyzed among residents of two social homes in Moscow; totally 936 people were examined. These individuals were given a skin test with the tuberculous recombinant allergen (TRA). To exclude tuberculosis, those with a positive response underwent examination and tests including chest computed tomography and 3 consecutive sputum smears for acid-fast mycobacteria. If tuberculosis was ruled out according to the results, the condition of these individuals was classified as latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Results. Among those living in social housing, LTBI was more common in men than in women, OR=1.72 (95% CI 1.16–2.57). In persons with mental retardation, LTBI was detected more often than in those with schizophrenia: 20.68% versus 12.44%, p <0.05. The presence of concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, COPD, viral hepatitis, gastrointestinal pathology, oncology, and autoimmune diseases) is no risk factor for LTBI in people with mental pathology.