[Investigation of a new treatment outcome index for tuberculosis]

To investigate a new treatment outcome index that may be useful in the Japanese tuberculosis surveillance system.

For sputum smear-positive primary tuberculosis patients, we estimated (a) treatment completion rates at the end of the next year of registration, and (b) treatment completion rates within 1 year from starting treatment in cases in which ≥ 1 year of treatment are indicated. For (a), we estimated treatment completion rates for newly registered cases during 2009 in the Japanese tuberculosis surveillance system, specifically at Fukujuji Hospital, which has a highly specialized tuberculosis treatment unit. For (b), we estimated the above-mentioned cases as well as those of "A" Public Health Center.

(a): The treatment completion rate at the end of the next year of registration was estimated to be 88.7% for newly registered cases during 2009 in the Japanese tuberculosis surveillance system. Among 66 jurisdictions, the highest and lowest completion rates were 100% and 58.3%, respectively, with a standard deviation of 6.7%. For Fukujuji Hospital cases, the completion rate was 93.1%. (b): The treatment completion rate within 1 year from the start of treatment was estimated to be 76.4% for newly registered cases during 2009 in the Japanese tuberculosis surveillance system. Among 66 jurisdictions, the highest and lowest completion rates were 90.9% and 44.1%, respectively, with a standard deviation of 8.8%. For Fukujuji Hospital and "A" Public Health Center cases, the completion rates were 91.1% and 80.0%, respectively.

As a new treatment outcome index, treatment completion rates within 1 year might be more accurate than the treatment completion rate at the end of the next year of registration.