EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION OF MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE CO-OCCURRENCE IN AZERBAIJAN

Abstract

This study analyzes the epidemiological situation of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in Azerbaijan in the context of its co-occurrence with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The research is based on statistical data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Azerbaijan Research Institute of Pulmonary Diseases. According to WHO data, over a seven-year period (2016–2022), the number of registered TB cases in Azerbaijan increased from 4,991 (49.2 per 100,000 population) to 7,129 (72.5 per 100,000 population). The proportion of pulmonary TB cases among the total registered TB cases accounted for approximately 25–30%. The number of newly registered cases with bacteriologically confirmed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and available drug-susceptibility test results ranged between 11.5% and 12.4%, while previously treated cases ranged between 22.6% and 28.3%. According to statistical data provided by the Azerbaijan Research Institute of Pulmonary Diseases (Baku), during the period from 2016 to 2022, the incidence of TB among COPD patients ranged between 8.3% and 14.4%, while the prevalence of MDR-TB among COPD/TB co-infected patients was 8.9%. TB continues to pose a global health threat.