What is already known about this topic?Patient delay in seeking medical care for pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB),especially among elderly individuals with weakened immune systems and mild symptoms,not only slows their rec...What is already known about this topic?Patient delay in seeking medical care for pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB),especially among elderly individuals with weakened immune systems and mild symptoms,not only slows their recovery but also increases the risk of tuberculosis spread because cases are not identified promptly.What is added by this report?In China,patient delays experienced by elderly PTB patients showed a modest decrease from 2015 to 2023.Notably,longer patient delays were observed among agricultural workers and those identified through passive case-finding methods.Furthermore,the patient delay in the western regions was longer than in the eastern and central regions.What are the implications for public health practice?The study underscores the imperative of accessible healthcare for the elderly to minimize patient delay in pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science and Technology Major Project of China(2017ZX10201302-001)the Tuberculosis Control and Prevention Programme of China CDC.
文摘What is already known about this topic?Patient delay in seeking medical care for pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB),especially among elderly individuals with weakened immune systems and mild symptoms,not only slows their recovery but also increases the risk of tuberculosis spread because cases are not identified promptly.What is added by this report?In China,patient delays experienced by elderly PTB patients showed a modest decrease from 2015 to 2023.Notably,longer patient delays were observed among agricultural workers and those identified through passive case-finding methods.Furthermore,the patient delay in the western regions was longer than in the eastern and central regions.What are the implications for public health practice?The study underscores the imperative of accessible healthcare for the elderly to minimize patient delay in pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment.
