Publication date: Aug 26, 2026
Asymptomatic Tuberculosis (TB) represents up to 60% of cases in endemic countries, remains largely underdiagnosed and sustains transmission. Several European low-TB prevalence countries have implemented active screening in at-risk populations for identification of such cases. This study aims to describe clinical characteristics and possible risk factors of asymptomatic vs. symptomatic pulmonary TB cases in this setting. This retrospective cohort study included pulmonary TB cases detected through active screening of at-risk populations at two Italian regional reference centers between 2015 and 2024. Asymptomatic and symptomatic cases were identified and compared. Among 372 TB cases included, 56. 5% belonged to the asymptomatic and 43. 5% to the symptomatic group. Individuals from the first group required more often radiologic investigation with chest CT scan (145 [69%] vs. 78 [48. 1%], p
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Asymptomatic tuberculosis | |
| High-income countries | |
| Low TB incidence | |
| Pulmonary TB | |
| Risk group | |
| Screening |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | tuberculosis |
| pathway | KEGG | Tuberculosis |
| disease | MESH | included |