Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and risk factors associated with its development: a retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) poses a significant public health challenge in Malaysia.
• Limited data exists on the specific risk factors contributing to MDR-TB development within the country.
• This study addresses the critical need for understanding MDR-TB risk factors in Malaysia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and determine the key risk factors associated with the development of MDR-TB in patients in peninsular Malaysia.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study was conducted using medical records from five referral TB hospitals in peninsular Malaysia (January 2010 - April 2014).
• 105 confirmed MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB cases were analyzed.
• 209 non-MDR-TB cases were randomly selected as controls for comparison.

Main Results:

• Previous tuberculosis treatment emerged as a significant risk factor for MDR-TB.
• HIV infection was identified as a notable risk factor associated with MDR-TB development.
• Immigrant status and a high load of positive acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear were also significantly linked to MDR-TB.

Conclusions:

• Patients with a history of prior tuberculosis treatment, HIV co-infection, immigrant status, and high AFB smear load are at increased risk for MDR-TB.
• Identifying these risk factors is essential for informing national public health policies and interventions.
• Enhanced understanding of MDR-TB risk factors will aid in developing targeted strategies to combat the disease in Malaysia.