Epidemiological Profile of Tuberculosis in Salvador and in a Marginalized District of the Capital Between 2015 and 2024: An Ecological and Time-Series Study

Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most common symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis include persistent cough, which may be dry or productive, afternoon fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Tuberculosis treatment is standardized and must follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. To describe the epidemiological profile of tuberculosis in Salvador and in the district of Pau da Lima between 2015 and 2024. This is an ecological time-series study. Data refer to tuberculosis notifications within the specified time–space framework and were obtained from TABNET-SALVADOR, linked to the Municipality of Salvador. Information was derived from Compulsory Notification Forms. Population data were obtained from the vital statistics subsection of TABNET-SALVADOR. Variables included geographic region, year, race/color, AIDS, rapid test, age group, and sex. Variables were described using absolute numbers, relative frequency, and overall prevalence, stratified by sex and age group. Tuberculosis prevalence in Salvador and in the district of Pau da Lima peaked in 2022 (Salvador: 100 per 100,000 inhabitants; Pau da Lima: 200 per 100,000 inhabitants). In the district, the ≥80-year age group showed the highest prevalence in 4 of the 10 years analyzed, while the 65–79-year age group showed the highest prevalence in 5 of the 10 years. Higher prevalence was observed among individuals classified as mixed race (52.1%), followed by Black (26.6%) and White individuals (6.2%). Tuberculosis prevalence stratified by sex was higher among men (92.6 per 100,000) than among women (56.6 per 100,000) in Pau da Lima. Approximately 44.8% of rapid tests performed detected the presence of the Koch bacillus, whereas in 41.3% of reported cases no rapid test was performed. Among detected bacilli, 42.9% were sensitive to rifampicin. In addition, 7.5% of cases recorded tuberculosis-HIV coinfection in the district. This epidemiological study revealed significant patterns of disease prevalence and distribution, reflecting temporal variability and demographic characteristics. There is a clear need for continuous actions to reduce tuberculosis prevalence, focusing on prevention, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment.