Treatment Outcome of MDR/RR TB in a Resource-Constrained Setup: A Four-Year Retrospective Analysis

The emergence of drug resistance in TB treatment is a major public health threat. However, there are limited studies which are directed towards identifying factors that explain the gap in achieving treatment targets.

: This study aimed to assess the treatment outcome and its associated factors among patients with MDR/RR-TB in Dilchora Hospital Treatment Initiation Center from January 2014 to December 2018.

: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with MDR/RR TB who initiated treatment between January 2014 and December 2018. Data were extracted from patient medical charts using a structured questionnaire. SPSS version 26 was used for analysis. Reports are presented using percentages and frequency. Independently associated factors for unfavorable outcome were identified using binary logistic regression model. Adjusted and crude odds ratio with 95% CI was used. P-value less than 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

: A total of 146 patients were included in this study. The overall prevalence of unfavorable outcomes in this study for those with known outcomes was 8.6%. People living with HIV had a 6.47 times (95% CI: 1.14-36.68) increased odds of death as compared to those who are HIV negative. For every 1kg/m² increment in BMI, there was a 35.3% (AOR = 0.647; CI: 0.44-0.95) reduction in the odds of death as compared to those who had a 1kg/m2 lower BMI. Each additional month without culture conversion also increased the odds of death 2.24 times (95%CI: 1.08-4.66).

: The findings of our study showed an appreciably low poor treatment outcome for this outpatient program. HIV screening and early initiation of HAART, early identification and treatment of those who are underweight and a critical follow-up to the time of sputum culture conversion could help in further improving the outcomes.