Tuberculosis and poverty

Abstract

Objective - To examine whether the historical link between tuberculosis and poverty still exist. Design - Retrospective study examining the notification of all forms of tuberculosis by council ward over six year period and correlating this with four indices of poverty; council housing, free school meals, the Townsend overall deprivation index, and the Jarman index. Setting - The 33 electoral wards of the city of Liverpool. Subjects - 344 residents of Liverpool with tuberculosis. Results - The rate of tuberculosis was correlated with all measures of poverty, the strongest correlation being with the Jarman index (r = 0.73, p < 0.0001). This link was independent of the high rates of tuberculosis seen in ethnic minorities. Conclusion - Tuberculosis remains strongly associated with poverty.