Prevalence of Tuberculosis, a Retrospective Review from Findings of Tertiary Care Hospitals Multan Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health challenge in Pakistan, with substantial regional variability in facility burden and diagnostic yield. Facility-based evidence from South Punjab is needed to inform targeted TB control strategies. Objective: To describe the facility-based diagnostic yield among presumptive TB patients tested and the demographic and diagnostic-category distribution of TB cases registered at a tertiary-care TB unit in Multan, Pakistan (2023–2024). Methods: A retrospective facility-based record review was conducted at the TB Unit, Nishtar Hospital Multan, from January 2023 to December 2024. Routine program records were used to quantify outpatient screening, presumptive identification, testing volume, bacteriological confirmation yield, and registered TB case distribution by age, sex, and diagnostic category (PBC, PCD, EPBC, EPCD). Proportions with 95% confidence intervals were computed, and chi-square tests assessed sex-based distribution differences. Results: Among 103,109 OPD attendees, 2,882 presumptive TB patients were identified and 2,644 were tested; 173 were bacteriologically confirmed, yielding 6.54% positivity (95% CI 5.66–7.55). A total of 428 TB cases were registered, with males comprising 54.9% and females 45.1%. The highest case concentration occurred in ages 15–24 years (26.2%), with significant sex-by-age distribution differences (p=0.001). Extrapulmonary clinically diagnosed TB predominated (50.7%), with no sex difference in category distribution (p=0.807). Conclusion: TB case notification burden and diagnostic yield remain substantial in this tertiary-care facility, with young adult concentration and high extrapulmonary clinical diagnosis, supporting strengthened diagnostic pathways and targeted interventions.