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Gender Disparities in Latent Tuberculosis Infection in High-Risk Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study

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  • Wen-Ying Ting
  • Shiang-Fen Huang
  • Ming-Che Lee
  • Yung-Yang Lin
  • Yu-Chin Lee
  • Jia-Yih Feng
  • Wei-Juin Su

Abstract

Male predominance in active tuberculosis (TB) is widely-reported globally. Gender inequalities in socio-cultural status are frequently regarded as contributing factors for disparities in sex in active TB. The disparities of sex in the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) are less frequently investigated and deserve clarification. In this cross-sectional study conducted in a TB endemic area, we enrolled patients at high-risk for LTBI and progression from LTBI to active TB from 2011 to 2012. Diagnosis of LTBI was made by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT). Differences in sex in terms of prevalence of LTBI and clinical predictors for LTBI were investigated. Associations among age, smoking status, and sex disparities in LTBI were also analyzed. A total of 1018 high-risk individuals with definite QFT-GIT results were included for analysis, including 534 males and 484 females. The proportion of LTBI was significantly higher in males than in females (32.6% vs. 25.2%, p = 0.010). Differences in the proportion of LTBI between sexes were most prominent in older patients (age ≥55 years). In multivariate analysis, independent clinical factors associated with LTBI were age (p = 0.014), smoking (p = 0.048), and fibro-calcified lesions on chest radiogram (p = 0.009). Male sex was not an independent factor for LTBI (p = 0.88). When stratifying patients according to the smoking status, the proportion of LTBI remained comparable between sexes among smokers and non-smokers. In conclusion, although the proportion of LTBI is higher in men, there is no significant disparity in terms of sex in LTBI among high-risk individuals after adjusting for age, smoking status, and other clinical factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen-Ying Ting & Shiang-Fen Huang & Ming-Che Lee & Yung-Yang Lin & Yu-Chin Lee & Jia-Yih Feng & Wei-Juin Su, 2014. "Gender Disparities in Latent Tuberculosis Infection in High-Risk Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(11), pages 1-8, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0110104
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110104
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vlassoff, Carol & Moreno, Claudia Garcia, 2002. "Placing gender at the centre of health programming: challenges and limitations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 54(11), pages 1713-1723, June.
    2. Chun-Yu Lin & Tun-Chieh Chen & Po-Liang Lu & Chung-Chih Lai & Yi-Hsin Yang & Wei-Ru Lin & Pei-Ming Huang & Yen-Hsu Chen, 2013. "Effects of Gender and Age on Development of Concurrent Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Population Based Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(5), pages 1-9, May.
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