Active tuberculosis among US army personnel, 1980 to 1996

Objective: To describe hospitalization rates for active tuberculosis among U.S. Army personnel. Methods: All hospitalizations for tuberculosis among Army active duty personnel from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1996, were identified from an inpatient database. Incidence rates and trend analyses are presented for age, race, sex, and hospital location. Results: A total of 936 cases of active tuberculosis required hospitalization. Hospitalization rates declined from 15.3 cases/100,000 (1980) to 5.1 cases/100,000 (1996). Significant declines in hospitalization rates occurred for white and black males but not for females. Tuberculosis rates were 3.5 times lower among soldiers compared with the general population for individuals 25 to 44 years of age. Conclusion: Because of medical, purified protein derivative, and human immunodeficiency virus screening, military populations represent a low-risk population for active tuberculosis. The Army's overall hospitalization rate for tuberculosis declined steadily but remained relatively high among minorities and females. Additional studies should address specific risk factors related to race and gender among healthy populations with adequate health care.