SynthesisThe Lancet. Public health2021
Incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis in incarcerated populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The Lancet. Public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in Malaysia: the first systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- The global epidemiology of injecting drug use, HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis among people who are incarcerated: a multistage systematic review.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence of tuberculosis in Ethiopia: an umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of active pulmonary tuberculosis screening during detention admission: a systematic review.Journal of medicine and life · 2024Pooled it
- Mental and physical health morbidity among people in prisons: an umbrella review.The Lancet. Public health · 2024Pooled it
- Number needed to screen for TB in clinical, structural or occupational risk groups.The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease · 2022Pooled it
- Mitigation of COVID-19 through onsite testing and education among formerly incarcerated individuals (the MOSAIC study): an open-label, single-centre, randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Public health · 2026Trial
- Article
- Assessing Bias in Medication Administration in Relation to Incarceration History in a New Orleans Student Clinic Population.Journal of community health · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Symptom Transitions Predict Incident Tuberculosis Risk in Serial Active Case Finding.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Hidden burden of leprosy in incarcerated populations in northeast Brazil: active case detection and serological assessment.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026Article
- Post-release tuberculosis risk among formerly incarcerated populations in Lima Peru.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Systematic review of the tuberculosis burden in prisons: Regional patterns and gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean.Global epidemiology · 2026Review
- Interferon gamma release assay and sputum GeneXpert positivity for tuberculosis burden detection in people deprived of liberty in Brazil: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Infection Control in Carceral Facilities.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Review
- Accelerating tuberculosis diagnosis in Mozambican prisons using digital chest X-rays with computer-aided detection: a longitudinal, comprehensive health intervention.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Prisons of Latin America and the Caribbean: A Critical Reflection on Structural Challenges and Gaps.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Review
- Tuberculosis control in Ethiopian prisons: A forgotten front in the end TB Strategy.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Reinforcement Learning-Based Control of Epidemics on Networks of Communities and Correctional Facilities.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2026Article
- Space-time clustering and temporal trend analysis of pulmonary tuberculosis in Brazil, 2010-2023.PloS one · 2026Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrisons are recognised as high-risk environments for tuberculosis, but there has been little systematic investigation of the global and regional incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis, and its determinants, in prisons. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis in incarcerated populations by geographical region.
methodsIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Knowledge, and the LILACS electronic database from Jan 1, 1980, to Nov 15, 2020, for cross-sectional and cohort studies reporting the incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, incidence of tuberculosis, or prevalence of tuberculosis among incarcerated individuals in all geographical regions. We extracted data from individual studies, and calculated pooled estimates of incidence and prevalence through hierarchical Bayesian meta-regression modelling. We also did subgroup analyses by region. Incidence rate ratios between prisons and the general population were calculated by dividing the incidence of tuberculosis in prisons by WHO estimates of the national population-level incidence.
findingsWe identified 159 relevant studies; 11 investigated the incidence of M tuberculosis infection (n=16 318), 51 investigated the incidence of tuberculosis (n=1 858 323), and 106 investigated the prevalence of tuberculosis (n=6 727 513) in incarcerated populations. The overall pooled incidence of M tuberculosis infection among prisoners was 15·0 (95% credible interval [CrI] 3·8-41·6) per 100 person-years. The incidence of tuberculosis (per 100 000 person-years) among prisoners was highest in studies from the WHO African (2190 [95% CrI 810-4840] cases) and South-East Asia (1550 [240-5300] cases) regions and in South America (970 [460-1860] cases), and lowest in North America (30 [20-50] cases) and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region (270 [50-880] cases). The prevalence of tuberculosis was greater than 1000 per 100 000 prisoners in all global regions except for North America and the Western Pacific, and highest in the WHO South-East Asia region (1810 [95% CrI 670-4000] cases per 100 000 prisoners). The incidence rate ratio between prisons and the general population was much higher in South America (26·9; 95% CrI 17·1-40·1) than in other regions, but was nevertheless higher than ten in the WHO African (12·6; 6·2-22·3), Eastern Mediterranean (15·6; 6·5-32·5), and South-East Asia (11·7; 4·1-27·1) regions.
interpretationGlobally, people in prison are at high risk of contracting M tuberculosis infection and developing tuberculosis, with consistent disparities between prisons and the general population across regions. Tuberculosis control programmes should prioritise preventive interventions among incarcerated populations.
fundingUS National Institutes of Health.
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