Geodemographic analysis of tuberculosis patients in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Karachi, Pakistan, and even with the discovery of other infectious diseases no significant change is evident in its epidemiological profile while analyzing the temporal incidence. There is significant evidence to support the fact that poverty is the leading cause of TB. A number of scholarly analyses have documented associations among patients’ characteristics (sex, age group); social factors (education, origin of the patient, smoking, alcohol and drug use); environmental factors (house types, room density, source of water, garbage collection and disposal), and economic factors etc. The purpose of the present study is to provide cogent and relevant arguments for the characteristics of tuberculosis patients in terms of social and economic profiles in the study area. Forty-nine selected variables have been used in the present study for analysis. Three factors have emerged as responsible for the spread of tuberculosis in the study area. An insight into variables for Factor I reveals that features related to urbanization appear to be categorically responsible for the spread of TB in Karachi, especially among the white collar persons and low, middle-class residents. The results of the present study can help the city authorities for improving downtown areas renovation as per quality of life demand.

Keywords

• factor analysis
• tuberculosis
• Karachi
• epidemiology
• ecological impacts