[Prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis in Aïoun hospital (Hodh El Garbi)].

In this retrospective study in the regional hospital Aioun from 1st January 2010 to 31st April 2014, the objective was to determine the prevalence of smear-positive PTB. In total, 320 cases have been identified giving a proportion of 9%. The male subjects (74%) were three times higher than for female subjects with a sex-ratio man/woman of 2.8. The average age of patients was 41±16 years with extremes of 15 and 90 years and the most affected age group was 15-30 years (41%). The majority of our patients (85%) came from rural areas. No patient had been screened for HIV infection. There was a statistically significant relationship between gender, age group (P=0.005) and resistant cases after 6months of anti-TB treatment (P=0.04). Tuberculosis remains a public health problem in our country. Many efforts will still be provided for screening and epidemiological surveillance for a good control of the disease.