Content
Although more men are affected by TB, women and transgender persons experience the disease differently. Gender differences and inequalities play a significant role in how people of all gender access and receive healthcare services.
| Gender difference in |
Men |
Women |
| Incidence of TB |
- Higher proportion of men(approximately- 2:1) are diagnosed with TB than women
- More likely to have microbiologically confirmed Pulmonary TB
|
- More likely to have Clinically diagnosed pulmonary TB and extra – pulmonary forms of TB
- Prevalence of HIV-TB co-infection is higher among women who live in overcrowded houses and consume alcohol
- High Risk for developing TB – Pregnant women and women in the postpartum period
|
| Exposure, Risk & Vulnerability |
- Smoking and alcohol consumption among men
- High risk for developing TB - employment in mining, quarrying, metals and construction industries
|
Undernutrition, their role as caretakers and the use of solid fuel for cooking puts women at risk for TB |
| Health Seeking & Health system factors |
- Fear of loss of income and the consequences of absence from work hinder care seeking.
|
- Women face difficulties due to perceived stigma, prioritization of household chores, lack of money or financial dependence
|
| Treatment Outcomes |
- Pressure to get back to work and lifestyle habits such as smoking or consumption of alcohol influence discontinuation of treatment in men
- Migrant workers, mostly men, often face difficulties in adherence to treatment in the face of extreme poverty and issues of daily survival
|
- Women tend to have better adherence and treatment outcome as compared to men
- Stigma and discrimination are major impediments to treatment adherence, mainly among unmarried women, newly married women and the elderly
|
Transgender population often has low literacy, low education levels and are poor. A high proportion of transgender persons are known to smoke, consume alcohol and use drugs. All these factors make them vulnerable to TB.
