Clinical characteristics and outcomes of tuberculosis in Douala, Cameroon: a 7-year retrospective cohort study

Tuberculosis (TB) clinic, Douala Laquintinie Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.

To describe the clinical characteristics of TB and to investigate predictors of poor treatment outcomes.

A registry-based, retrospective cohort study of all TB cases recorded from 2007 to 2013 was conducted. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of poor outcomes.

Of 8902 TB cases included, 5110 (57.4%) were males. The median age was 33 years. The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was 37.6%, with a significant decline over the study years (P = 0.000). The main clinical form of TB was smear-positive TB (50.5%). The treatment success rate was 75.2%, while the mortality rate was 8.1%. The year of TB diagnosis, retreatment cases, sputum non-conversion at the end of month 2, HIV infection and HIV testing not done were associated with death. Retreatment and non-conversion of sputum were associated with treatment failure, while male sex, age, sputum non-conversion, HIV infection and HIV testing not done were associated with loss to follow-up.

TB management objectives may be attained by focusing specifically on higher risk groups to prevent poor treatment outcomes.