Objective: To determine the prevalence of latent and active TB among detainees in a prison hospital in Bahia, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study with prospective data collection was carried out comprising 237 inmates in the Bahia State Prison Hospital between July 2003 and April 2004. A standardized questionnaire was applied and completed by medical students. The detainees were systematically submitted to the following tests: tuberculin skin test, chest X-ray (anteroposterior), sputum smear microscopy and culture for mycobacteria. The events of interest were active TB and latent TB. Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.6 years, and 89.9% were male. Smoking and alcohol consumption were reported by 70.0% and 43.9% of the inmates, respectively. A history of treatment for TB was reported by 11.3% of the inmates. Of the inmates evaluated, 36.3% reported cough and 31.4% reported expectoration. Other less common symptoms were asthenia (in 26.2%), weight loss (in 23.1%), loss of appetite (in 17.7%), fever (in 11.3%) and hemoptysis (in 6.7%). Of the 86 inmates tested, none presented positive HIV serology. The prevalence of latent TB was 61.5% (96 of the 156 inmates submitted to tuberculin skin tests), whereas that of active TB was 2.5% (6 of the 237 inmates evaluated). The presence of cough was a determinant of active TB (prevalence ratio = 8.8; 95% CI: 1.04-73.9; p = 0.025). Conclusions: Active and latent TB are highly prevalent among inmates hospitalized in the Bahia State Prison Hospital. Our findings justify the need to implement public policies specifically directed towards the control of TB in this population.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Prisons; Hospitals; Prevalence.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in patients with cystic fibrosis treated at a referral center in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study, with prospective data collection, carried out at the Cystic Fibrosis Referral Center of Bahia of the Octávio Mangabeira Specialized Hospital. We evaluated 74 patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, older than six years of age, treated between December 9, 2003 and March 7, 2005. We analyzed the following variables: gender, age, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, pharmacodynamic response, chest X-ray findings, facial sinus X-ray findings, wheezing, cultures for Aspergillus spp., total immunoglobulin E (IgE), specific IgE for Aspergillus fumigatus and immediate skin test reactivity to A. fumigatus antigen. Results: Of the 74 patients, 2 were diagnosed with ABPA. We found total IgE levels > 1,000 IU/mL in 17 (23%), positive immediate skin reactivity to A. fumigatus antigen in 19 (25.7%) and wheezing in 60 (81.1%). Conclusions: The prevalence of ABPA was 2.7%. The high levels of total IgE, high incidence of wheezing and high rate of immediate skin test reactivity to A. fumigatus antigen suggest that these patients should be carefully monitored due to their propensity to develop ABPA.

Keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Aspergillosis, allergic bronchopulmonary; Immunoglobulin E/diagnostic use; Hypersensitivity, immediate/diagnosis; Gliotoxin.

Objective: To report demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with asthma who evolved to death, as well as to describe the conditions related to this outcome in a subgroup of patients admitted to the Program for the Control of Asthma and Rhinitis in Bahia (ProAR). Methods: A descriptive, retrospective, observational study. Data from clinical charts and death certificates of 16 patients of 930 subjects with severe asthma monitored at the ProAR Central Reference Center from December 2003 to June 2006 were reviewed. Results: Of the 930 patients participating in the program, 16 (1.72%) died. Of these, there were 10 males and 6 females, ranging in age from 39 to 74 years (median, 55 years); 12 (75%) of the patients were black. Time since diagnosis ranged from 1 to 68 years (median, 30 years). In 43.8 and 53.8%, respectively, there was a personal or family history of atopy. Ex-smokers (<10 pack-years) accounted for 37.5% of the cases. Causes of death listed on the death certificates were as follows: asthma or asthma exacerbations in 8 (50%); respiratory failure in 3 (18.75%); acute heart infarction in 2 (12.5%); hepatitis in 1 (6.25%); hypovolemic shock in 1 (6.25%); and cardiorespiratory arrest in 1 (6.25%). Of the 16 deaths, 13 (81.25%) occurred inside hospitals. Conclusion: Asphyxia and cardiovascular diseases were the most common atributed causes of mortality in this subgroup of patients with severe asthma. Hospital-based mortality, male gender, advanced age, long-term disease and fixed airflow obstruction were the aspects most frequently observed in the cases studied.

Keywords: Mortality; Rhinitis/treatment; Asthma/treatment; Cardiovascular diseases.

Abstract Objective: To determine the rate of adherence to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in patients with severe asthma, to identify predictive factors for adherence and to evaluate the relationship between adherence to treatment and parameters of clinical and functional response. Methods: Prospective cohort study of patients enrolled in the Program for the Control of Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The study comprised 160 patients with severe asthma, monitored for 180 days in order to evaluate adherence (dependent variable) to the prescribed inhaled corticosteroid. Independent variables were assessed at baseline and for a six-month follow-up period by means of interviews and the completion of a standardized questionnaire. Patients recorded the missed doses in a diary. Results: Of the 160 patients, 158 completed the study. Adherence rate was 83.8%. Of the 158 patients, 112 (70.9%) were considered adherent (cut-off point: 80% of prescribed doses administered). There was a significant association between asthma control and adherence to treatment. Predictors of poor adherence were adverse effects, living far from the referral center, limited resources to pay for transportation and dose schedule. Other factors, such as depressive symptoms, religion and economic status, were not associated with poor adherence. Conclusions: Adherence to asthma treatment was high and was associated with the clinical response to treatment, in a sample of patients with severe asthma enrolled in a public program that provides free medication and the assistance of a multiprofessional specialized team in a referral center.

Keywords: Asthma; Directly observed therapy; Treatment outcome; Patient compliance; Pharmacy.

Objective: To describe COPD pharmacological treatment patterns in the state of Bahia, Brazil, and to evaluate the extent to which these patterns conform to clinical guidelines for the management of COPD. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 441 patients referred from the Public Health Care Network of the state of Bahia to a public referral outpatient clinic of a COPD management program of the Brazilian Unified Health Care System. Individuals with a spirometry-confirmed diagnosis of moderate to very severe COPD were included in the study. Patients were evaluated as to whether they had used any COPD medications in the last seven days. The appropriateness or inappropriateness (undertreatment or overtreatment) of the patient's pharmacological treatment was evaluated by comparing the patient's current treatment with that recommended by national and international guidelines. Results: A total of 383 individuals were included in the analysis. Approximately half of the patients (49.1%) used long-acting bronchodilators. These patients were older and had had the disease longer. Of the sample as a whole, 63.7% and 83.0% did not receive pharmacological treatment in accordance with international and national recommendations, respectively. Inappropriateness due to undertreatment was indentified in more than half of the patients. Conclusions: Long-acting bronchodilators are frequently underused in individuals with moderate to very severe COPD within the Brazilian Unified Health Care System in the state of Bahia. Most patients in our sample were treated inappropriately, and undertreatment predominated. Strategies to improve access to long-acting bronchodilators and the quality of COPD pharmacological management are required.

Keywords: Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive/therapy; Drug therapy; Clinical protocols