health
One person a week in England dies with undiagnosed TB, study finds
British-born, older men among those most likely to have disease found only postmortem, say researchers
TL;DR
- One person dies each week in England with undiagnosed tuberculosis, according to a new study.
- Older, British-born men are identified as a demographic more likely to have TB diagnosed only after death.
- The study calls for postmortem TB diagnoses to be considered 'never events' triggering urgent investigations.
- Tuberculosis rates in England are at a 10-year high, nearing the World Health Organization's threshold for a 'low incidence country'.
- Children under four and individuals with a history of drug or alcohol misuse are also at higher risk for postmortem TB diagnosis.
- Researchers noted limitations in the data preventing definitive conclusions on whether TB caused death or was present concurrently.