A study on assessment of symptoms and functionality in DOTS cured patients in two districts of Garhwal, Uttarakhand

In 2013, an estimated 9.0 million people developed TB and 1.5 million died from the disease. India has achieved the target of a case detection rate of 70% and a cure rate of 85% through the nationwide Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) strategy. Tuberculosis may generate residual lesions in the course of its pathology, which impair the functionality of the patient even after achieving "cure" or "treatment completion".

To assess the presence of symptoms and functionality of tuberculosis patients who had completed the treatment or had been declared as cured under Revised National Tuberculosis Programme (RNTCP).

The present study was a cross sectional study. It was conducted in the two Tuberculosis Units (TUs) of Rudraprayag and Pauri in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand among the people who had completed treatment under DOTS or had been declared as cured under RNTCP in last one year.

Even at the completion of the treatment about 37% had cough, 25% had expectoration, 6% had hemoptysis, more than 50% had chest pain and 65% had breathlessness. The mean distance walked by the participants in six minutes was 363.5 ± 58.2 m with a range of 245-490 m.

The persistence of symptoms indicate that the functionality of DOTS cured patients remains compromised even after days and months of treatment completion, thereby necessitating measures for the improvement of the overall health of the patients rather than just the microbiological cure.