Morbidity and mortality trends of pulmonary tuberculosis in Taiwan.

An epidemiologic study of pulmonary tuberculosis was carried out to examine the secular trend and geographic variations of the incidence, prevalence and mortality of pulmonary tuberculosis in Taiwan. The prevalence and incidence rates declined-steadily from 1910 to 1980, but have remained unchanged during the last decade. Mortality also showed an 8.0% annual decrease from 1974 to 1986, but has remained constant without any apparent changes in recent years. Mortality for pulmonary tuberculosis is much higher in the aboriginal areas, where patients have a poor adherence to treatment and where a high prevalence of alcohol abuse exists. The mortality for pulmonary tuberculosis in Taiwan is higher than that in most developed countries, such as the U.K. and the U.S.A., but is lower than that in mainland China and the Republic of Korea.