Tuberculosis infection among people with severe mental illness.

In a study of the prevalence of tuberculosis infection and risk factors for infection among people with severe mental illness, 71 participants in a psychiatric day program were given a tuberculin skin test. Twelve of the 71 subjects (17 percent) had positive results. None had active tuberculosis. Those with tuberculosis infection were more likely to be immigrants and to be above the study group's median age of 32. Eleven of the 12 infected subjects had experienced at least one of seven risk factors for tuberculosis infection, which suggests that more clinical attention should be placed on tuberculosis infection in this population.