Characteristics, management and outcome of patients with recurrent tuberculosis under routine programme conditions in...

All 43 non-private hospitals in Malawi, which registered TB cases between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2000.

To determine 1) the characteristics, management and treatment outcome, 2) timing of the previous episode of TB, and 3) pattern of drug resistance in patients registered with recurrent smear-positive pulmonary TB.

Retrospective data collection using TB registers and laboratory culture and drug sensitivity registers.

There were 748 recurrent patients; data were available for 747. Of these, 487 (65%) successfully completed a re-treatment regimen, 185 (25%) died and the remainder had another outcome. Information about previous TB was recorded for 491 (66%) patients. In 286 (58%) there were 2 years or less between completing and re-starting treatment. Only 307 (41%) patients had sputum sent for culture and drug sensitivity tests. In 164 patients with cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 122 (81%) were fully sensitive, 25 (15%) had resistance to isoniazid and/or streptomycin, and 6 (4%) had resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin (MDR-TB).

Patients with recurrent TB had acceptable treatment outcomes, and most had fully sensitive organisms. Over half had recurrent TB 2 years or less after completing treatment. Ways to prevent recurrence need to be investigated and implemented in the field.