A structured 2-week follow-up visit in the cascade of care for TB increases case detection.

Delayed detection in TB due to structural and diagnostic shortcomings is pivotal for disease transmission, morbidity and mortality. We investigated whether an inclusive screening, followed by a structured clinical follow-up (FU) could improve case-finding.Patients were recruited from health centres in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, and Gondar, Ethiopia.

Life expectancy among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is less than one-third of life expectancy in the background population in Guinea-Bissau-an observational study.

Background: Few studies have assessed life expectancy of patients with tuberculosis (TB) against a comparable background population, particularly in low-income, high-incidence settings. This study aimed to estimate the life expectancy (LE) of patients with TB in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau and compare it with the LE of the background population.

Methods: This study used data from the Bandim TB cohort from 2004-20 as well as census data from the capital of Guinea-Bissau.

BCG is protective against death in male but not female patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Guinea-Bissau.

Background: Growing evidence supports the existence of a sex difference in immunity to tuberculosis (TB). This is most often to the detriment of males. This study aimed to assess the association between scar size from bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and mortality risk stratified by sex.

Incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in suburban Bissau, Guinea-Bissau between 2004 and 2020: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Previous studies have found declining incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. This study aimed to report incidence rates of TB for the period 2004-2020, stratifying by sex, smear-status, and HIV-status, as well as describe developments in TB case fatality rate and diagnostic delay.

Design And Methods: Data from the Bandim Health Project HDSS and the TB registry from Jan 1st, 2004 to Dec 31st, 2020 were used.

Point-of-care testing allows successful simultaneous screening of sickle cell disease, HIV, and tuberculosis for households in rural Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.

Diagnosis of noncommunicable genetic diseases like sickle cell disease (SCD) and communicable diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or tuberculosis (TB) is often difficult in rural areas of Africa due to the lack of infrastructures, trained staff, or capacity to involve families living in remote areas. The availability of point-of-care (POC) tests for the above diseases offers the opportunity to build joint programs to tackle all conditions. We report successful simultaneous screening of SCD, HIV, and TB utilizing POC tests in 898 subjects in Fanhe, in rural Guinea-Bissau.

TB-related deaths among adults in Guinea-Bissau.

In an urban demographic, high TB burden surveillance site in Guinea-Bissau, most deaths occur at home, and information on cause of death (CoD) is lacking. To examine CoD and the proportion of TB deaths in three groups: among patients examined for TB without a verified diagnosis after diagnostic workup, described as "assumed TB-negative" (aTBneg), among patients with a confirmed diagnosis of TB and in a sample of the background population. Verbal autopsies (VAs) were obtained for registered deaths occurring between 1 January 2010 and 15 June 2016.

A self-rated health score predicts severe disease and high mortality in patients with pulmonary TB.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with pulmonary TB may be predictive of disease outcome; however, HRQoL instruments are often complicated and unsuitable for use in low-resource settings. A single-item self-rated health (SRH) score may represent a simpler alternative which could be used in clinical decision-making. To evaluate internal and external validity of SRH and its correlation with TBscore/TBscoreII in a low-resource setting.

Assessing gender differences among presumed and diagnosed patients with pulmonary TB: observations from Guinea-Bissau.

Background: Globally, more males than females are diagnosed with pulmonary TB (PTB); however, the cause of this gender disparity remains unknown. We aimed to assess gender differences in an observational cohort of patients with presumed PTB (prePTB) at the Bandim Health Project, Guinea-Bissau.

Methods: Adult patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of PTB seeking medical care were invited to participate and were referred to comprehensive diagnostic work-up.

Hypertension is associated with increased mortality in patients with tuberculosis in Guinea-Bissau.

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is associated with a number of non-communicable co-morbidities, which can complicate treatment and impair outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of hypertension on disease severity, treatment outcome and survival in a cohort of patients with TB.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Guinea-Bissau.

Increasing smear positive tuberculosis detection using a clinical score - A stepped wedge multicenter trial from Africa.

Background: The Bandim TBscore is a clinical score that predicts treatment outcome in Tuberculosis (TB) patients and proved useful as an indicator of which healthcare-seeking adults to refer for sputum smear microcopy. We aimed to test in a randomized trial if the TBscore could be used to enhance the detection of smear positive (SP) TB.

Methods: We carried out a stepped wedge cluster-randomized trial at six health centers in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, and Gondar, Ethiopia.

Feasibility and Effectiveness of Tuberculosis Active Case-Finding among Children Living with Tuberculosis Relatives: a Cross-Sectional Study in Guinea-Bissau.

Background And Objectives: The World Health Organization End tuberculosis (TB) Strategy, approved in 2014, aims at a 90% reduction in TB deaths and an 80% reduction in TB incidence rate by 2030. One of the suggested interventions is the systematic screening of people with suspected TB, belonging to specific risk groups. The Hospital Raoul Follereau (HRF) in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, is the National Reference Hospital for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease of the country.

Low prevalence of malnourishment among household contacts of patients with tuberculosis in Guinea-Bissau.

Setting: An urban demographic surveillance site in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.BACKGROUND We hypothesised that if previous malnutrition plays a part in acquiring active tuberculosis (TB) disease, households of TB cases would have a higher prevalence of malnutrition than those of healthy controls.

Design: A cross-sectional study comparing nutritional and socio-economic status of all newly diagnosed patients with TB in 2014 with household contacts (persons residing in the household of TB cases) and random controls.