This descriptive study aimed to describe Tuberculosis-related mortality in Brazil between 1980 and 2001, through time series analysis of data from the DATASUS related to cases in which Tuberculosis was the basic cause of death. The mortality rates were calculated per 100,000 inhabitants according to gender and age. We found a decrease in Tuberculosis mortality of approximately 42% for men and 54% for women across the period analyzed. The International Classification of Diseases was used: ICD-9, for the period of 1980 to 1995; ICD-10 for 1996 to 2001. Deaths are related to late diagnosis, which is a problem of organization of the primary health care, as neither prevention actions nor case detections by active search for respiratory symptoms were incorporated into the health professionals' practice which contributes to higher death rates in more vulnerable groups.
tuberculosis; mortality; health services
