Unfavorable treatment outcomes among patients with drug-resistant TB in Uganda

BACKGROUND: Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) remains a significant public health burden and a threat to the progress made in TB control and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa.OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk-predictors of poor treatment outcomes in patients with DR-TB in Uganda.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of adult Ugandans who had been treated for DR-TB at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in Uganda.RESULTS: Of the 385 files reviewed, 332 (86.2%) met the study inclusion criteria. Of these, 226 (68.1%) were men and 193 (58.1%) were HIV-positive. A total of 73 participants (22.7%) had unfavorable treatment outcomes (treatment failure, loss to follow-up or death). History of cigarette smoking (OR 5.10, 95% CI 2.4-11.4; P < 0.001), age >60 years (OR 6.32, 95% CI 2.2-18.6; P < 0.001), anemia (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.1-5.3; P = 0.02) and thrombocytopenia (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.6-8.1; P <  0.001) were independent predictors of unfavorable treatment outcomes.CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of unfavorable treatment outcomes among patients with DR-TB. Further research is required to design a prognostic model for DR-TB patients in a resource-limited setting.