Volume 2 • Issue 1 • 1000106 J Clin Respir Dis Care, an open access journal ISSN:2472-1247 Silva et al., J Clin Respir Dis Care 2016, 2:1 DOI: 10.4172/2472-1247.1000106 Short Communication Open Access Journal of Clinical Respiratory Diseases and Care J o u r n a l o f C l i n i c a l R e s p ir a t o r y D i s e a s e s a n d C a r e ISSN: 2472-1247 Knowledge about Tuberculosis among Brazilians Lucas Scárdua Silva 1 , Jhulia Gabriela Duarte de Sousa 1 , Luísa Oliveira de Paiva 1 , Orlando Roberto 1 , Leonardo Filipini Pinheiro 1 and Marcelo Fouad Rabahi 1,2* 1 Federal University of Goiás, Faculty of Medicine, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil 2 Federal University of Goiás, Corner of 235 Street and 5th Avenue, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil *Corresponding author: Marcelo Fouad Rabahi, MD, Federal University of Goiás,corner of 235 Street and 5th Avenue, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, Tel: 556281210611; E-mail: mfrabahi@gmail.com Received January 15, 2016; Accepted February 09, 2016; Published February 12, 2016 Citation: Silva LS, de Sousa JGD, de Paiva LO, Roberto O, Pinheiro LF, et al. (2016) Knowledge about Tuberculosis among Brazilians. J Clin Respir Dis Care 2: 106. doi: 10.4172/2472-1247.1000106 Copyright: © 2016 Silva LS, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Background: Tuberculosisis an infectious disease responsible for 1.5 million deaths, worldwide, per year. Low levels of knowledge about TB are globally associated with a higher prevalence of latent TB infection and a low rate of treatment success. This study aimed to evaluate the level of TB knowledge of individuals at a recreational center in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Methods: We conducted 573 written structured interviews on recreational center frequentersin February and March, 2013, which included fve close-ended questions and one open-ended question concerning TB. Data were analyzed with Epi Info 3.5.2. Results: Percentages of patients who answered questions correctly were: 96.3% knew about TB (Q1); 48.5% knew that TB is caused by a bacterial infection (Q2); 73.8% knew that TB can be transmitted to people in contact with infected people (Q3); 75.4% knew that TB can be transmitted via air or droplets (saliva) (Q4); 85.5% knew that the main symptom of TB is cough (Q5); and 96.1% knew that TB is a curable disease (Q6). Conclusion: Overall, a quarter of the population was not aware of the main symptoms, transmission mode, and transmissibility of TB. In order to control TB infection and prevent its spread, emphasis should be placed on increasing awareness of this disease among individuals. Keywords: Tuberculosis; Structured interview; Epidemiology Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is the main infectious cause of deaths worldwide, especially among those with a low economic status [1,2]. TB is a curable disease and, in some countries, TB treatment has a success rate of 90% [3]. Given the TB treatment efcacy, high rates of TB infection remains an apparent paradox. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some subgroups of individuals (i.e. HIV positive individuals, alcohol consumers, and cigarette smokers) are at a greater risk of contracting the disease [4]. In addition, incorrect treatment, such as treatment abandonment [5,6], results in poor disease control. Moreover, studies demonstrate that disease awareness can prevent therapy abandonment up to 90% of the time [7]. In addition, a higher level of education has been shown to translate to a higher level of knowledge of TB. Specifcally, the 20 highest rates of TB are in countries such as Zimbabwe, Cambodia, and Afghanistan (but also Brazil, China, and Russia), which have low rates of “average years of schooling” and “expected years of schooling” [8,9]. In addition, literature shows that individuals with TB have a lower level of education than those without TB [10]. Reinforcing the importance of teaching people about Tuberculosis, World Health Organization created the Stopping TB Operational Strategy, which focused on TB education as one of its main objectives [11]. Tis study aimed to analyze the TB awareness in individuals in Goiânia (a Brazilian city, capital of Goiás State). Tis analysis was conducted through structured interviews consisting of six questions to evaluate participants’ knowledge of cognizance, cause, transmission mode, transmissibility, symptoms, and treatment of TB. Material and Methods Tis cross-sectional study included 573 frequenters of a recreational center in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, and was conducted during months of February and March, 2013. Six questions concerning common pulmonary TB were included, covering the following topics: cognizance, cause, transmission mode, transmissibility, main symptoms, and treatment regimen (Figure 1). Correct answers were as follows: Yes (1), Bacteria (2), Yes (3), through air or droplets (saliva) (4), Cough (5), and Yes (6).We analyzed the results, comparing percentage of correct answers with a hypothetical 100% percentage result. All data were collected, tabulated, and analyzed using Microsof Excel 2010/2013 from Microsof, Redmond, Washington and Epi Info 3.5.2 from CDC, DeKalb County, Georgia, USA. Ethics We observed the principles of autonomy, benefcence, non- malefcence, and justice requested by Brazilian Regulatory Authorities. Results Participants answered 573 structured interviews: 551 (96.3%) individuals had knowledge of TB. With regards to answering questions pertaining to the cause of TB, 278 (48.5%) individuals referred to bacteria; 110 (19.2%) referred to smoking; 85 (14.8%) did not know the