Læknablaðið - 15.10.1996, Qupperneq 10

690
LÆKN ABLAÐIÐ 1996; 82
Nýgengi og algengi
jákvæðra berklaprófa
meðal skólabarna
María I. Gunnbjörnsdóttir11 , Þorsteinn Blöndal1,2’, Haraldur Briem31, Örn Ólafsson2),
Sigríöur Jakobsdóttir11
Gunnbjörnsdóttir MI, Blöndal I>, Brieni H, Ólafsson
Ö, Jakobsdóttir S
Ineidence and prevalence of positive tuberculin skin
test reactions among schoolchildren
Læknablaðið 1996; 82: 690-8
Objectives: To investigate the incidence and preva-
lence of positive tuberculin skin test reactions in
schoolchildren from six to 16 years of age.
Material and methods: Data from tuberculin test
school surveys in Reykjavik during the years 1958 to
1991 are available for almost all individuals of each
age cohort. During 1958 to 1991 schoolchildren from
six to 16 years of age were tested annually. In Ice-
land regular BCG vaccination in children or aldults
has never been applied.
Results: Incidence of positive tests in all ages fell
from 2.5 (per 1000 tested per year) from 1958 down
to 0.5 in the mid seventies and after that the in-
cidence remained low. Prevalence of positive tests
for the same age group in different age cohorts
showed that for each age group from seven to 16
years positive tests were most common at the begin-
ning of the study period but decreased successively
to the beginning of the seventies. The prevalence of
positive tests was low and almost unchanged during
1976 to 1991 and varied from 0 -1.6 (per 1000 tested
per year) among children seven to eight years of age,
0-2.9 among children 11 to 12 years of age and from
0-3.8 among those aged 15 to 16 years.
Frá 1,Heilsuverndarstöð Reykjavíkur, 2,lyflækningadeild
Landspítalans, 3,smitsjúkdómadeild Sjúkrahúss Reykjavík-
ur, Fossvogi. Fyrirspurnir, bréfaskipti: Þorsteinn Blöndal,
Heilsuverndarstöð Reykjavíkur, 101 Reykjavík.
Lykilorð: Berklapróf, berklasmit, faraldsfræði, berklar.
Conclusion: During the last decade little has been
gained by systematic testing for tuberculosis as a
tool for finding newly infected persons or carriers of
M. Tuberculosis. It seems to us that the results of
this study do not justify systematic testing for tuber-
culous infection in all schoolchildren. Increased em-
phasis should be placed on testing among risk
groups such as immigrants from countries where
tuberculosis is endemic. Recent infection due to M.
Tuberculosis is a high risk factor for tuberculosis.
Search for newly infected persons in close contact
with infectious patients with tuberculosis should
have priority next to the diagnosis and treatment of
the patients. Tests for tuberculosis among those who
want to immigrate to Iceland circumscribe another
risk group where containment of tuberculosis is pos-
sible.
Keywords: Tuberculin skin test, tuberculous infection, epi-
demiology, tuberculosis.
Ágrip
Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að kanna ný-
gengi og algengi jákvæðra berklaprófa meðal
skólabarna í Reykjavík á árunum 1958-1991.
Efniviður og aðferðir: Til eru berklaprófunar-
gögn frá 1958-1991 um næstum alla einstak-
linga viðkomandi fæðingarárganga í Reykja-
vík. Á árunum 1958-1991 voru sex til 16 ára
skólabörn lengst af prófuð árlega, en hérlendis
hefur berklabólusetningu aldrei verið beitt
kerfisbundið.
Niðurstöður: Nýgengi jákvæðra berklaprófa
meðal skólabarna á aldrinum sex til 16 ára féll
úr 2,5 tilfellum á 1000 prófaða árið 1958 niður
undir 0,5 tilfelli um miðjan áttunda áratuginn
og hélst eftir það í megindráttum lágt. Algengi