Impact of chronic renal failure on anti-tuberculosis treatment outcomes

National Referral Centre for Tuberculosis (TB), Tehran, Iran.

To determine the impact of chronic renal failure (CRF) on TB treatment outcomes.

A retrospective study was conducted among adult TB patients with CRF and age- and sex-matched TB controls without CRF treated at the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease from 2004 to 2011. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine the impact of CRF on drug-induced hepatitis (DIH), treatment failure and all-cause mortality.

A total of 55 TB cases with CRF and 165 TB cases without CRF were included in the study. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were similar, except that TB cases with CRF were more likely to be of Iranian nationality (94.5% vs. 83%, P = 0.04). During anti-tuberculosis treatment, 40 (18.2%) patients developed DIH, none failed treatment and 15 (6.8%) died. Patients with CRF were more likely to develop DIH (27.3% vs. 15.2%, P = 0.04) and to die during treatment (16.4% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.001). CRF remained significantly associated with all-cause mortality (HR 4.87, 95%CI 1.73-13.65) in multivariate analysis, whereas the relationship with DIH was not.

TB patients with CRF are at increased risk of death. More intensive monitoring of patients with CRF should be considered by the National TB Programme.