OBJETIVO: Descrever a situação da tuberculose nas prisões da Cidade de Campinas, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um estudo retrospectivo dos casos notificados de tuberculose em presidiários no período de 1993 a 2000. Foram avaliados dados de 4 293 detentos dos quatro presídios que constituem o complexo penitenciário da região. Foram utilizadas informações do banco de dados em tuberculose do Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). RESULTADOS: Observou-se um pico de incidência da tuberculose em 1994 (1 397,62 notificações em 100 000 indivíduos). A menor taxa foi observada em 1999 (559,04). Predominou a faixa etária de 25 a 34 anos (62,6%) e a AIDS como doença associada (49,9%). A forma preponderante de tuberculose foi a pulmonar (91,9%), com baciloscopia de escarro positiva em 70,3%. A maioria dos presidiários não tinha realizado tratamentos prévios (75,4%). O abandono de tratamento chegou a 49%. Houve cura em apenas 20,8% dos casos no período estudado. CONCLUSÕES: A incidência intermediária de tuberculose observada neste estudo pode estar relacionada à subnotificação. A freqüência de falência do tratamento ainda é baixa. No entanto, o abandono, como fator que facilita a propagação de micobactérias resistentes na comunidade, causa preocupação. O controle da tuberculose nas prisões deveria ser parte rotineira das intervenções direcionadas a eliminar a doença na comunidade e a prevenir a resistência às drogas antituberculose.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence of tuberculosis among inmates of the municipal prison system in the city of Campinas, State of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1993 through 2000. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out of the number of cases of tuberculosis that were notified among inmates over the study period. This involved reviewing data from a total of 4 293 inmates who were held in the four prisons that comprise Campinas' municipal prison system. Data were obtained from the tuberculosis database belonging to the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine of the School of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas. RESULTS: The incidence of tuberculosis peaked in 1994 (1 397.62 cases per 100 000) and was lowest in 1999 (559.04 cases per 100 000). Most cases of tuberculosis occurred in inmates in the 25 to 34 year age group (62.6%). Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was the disease most commonly associated with tuberculosis (49.9%), which was most often pulmonary in type (91.9%), with positive sputum smears in 70.3% of the inmates tested. Most inmates had not received treatment before (75.4%). The treatment dropout rate reached 49%, and a cure was achieved in only 20.8% of the cases notified over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of tuberculosis observed in this study was moderate when compared to incidence rates found in other studies of prison inmates, but this could be due to underreporting. The frequency of treatment failure noted was low, since patients who were treated under supervision showed good adherence and were cured in the majority of cases. However, the high treatment dropout rate seen in the study is alarming because it could facilitate the spread of drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to the community at large. Controlling tuberculosis among prison inmates should be part of routine interventions aimed at eliminating this disease from the community and at preventing resistance to antituberculosis therapy.