Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis: Postponed Treatment Outcomes

The objective: to evaluate postponed treatment outcomes in the patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) detected during preventive screening and by self-referral to a medical unit. Subjects and Methods. Data from in-patient records of 147 patients were retrospectively analyzed. All those patients had MDR TB with a positive result of sputum tests and underwent treatment in the Grondo Regional Clinical Center of Phthisiology. Results. 103/147 (70.1%) cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were detected by screening, while 44/147 (29.9%) were detected by self-referral, p <0.001. It was possible to trace treatment outcomes in 114 patients only. Sputum conversion was achieved in the patients detected by screening within 6 months (inclusive) which was statistically significantly more frequently than among patients identified during self-referral (61/82 (74.4%) versus 15/32 (46.9%), p ≤0.05). Over 18 months, successful treatment outcomes were achieved statistically significantly more often in patients detected by screening (26/82 (31.7%), 95% CI 22.6-42.4) versus self-referral (4/32 (12.5%), 95% CI 5.0-28.1), p =0.046. Of 114 patients, a favorable treatment outcome was achieved in 86 (75.4%) 95% CI (66.8-82.4) patients, regardless of the duration of treatment and the way of tuberculosis detection: 65 patients detected by screening and 21 patients detected by self-referral.