Factors Associated with Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberclosis

Abstract

Background and Aim: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major sources of health problems in developing countries. An effective strategy for tuberculosis treatment can be evaluated with key indicators known as TB control program with their treatment outcomes. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with the treatment outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 129 Tuberculosis patients in the department of Pulmonology, Gulab Devi Hospital Lahore from November 2020 to April 2021. Demographic details, clinical examination, and treatment outcomes were evaluated. All the data were extracted from the hospital medical records. Successful treatment outcomes predictors were assessed using bivariate and multivariate regression. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the total 129 tuberculosis patients, 59 (46%) were male and 70 (54%) were females. The overall mean age was 26.54±5.62 years. The overall prevalence of successful treatment rate was 113 (87.6%). Out of 113, the prevalence of cured and complete treatment patients was 57 (50.4%) and 56 (49.6%) respectively. Based on logistic regression models, various parameters with their respective adjustment odds ratio (AOR) were as follows; age 21-40 years (AOR= 2.67, 95% CI=1.32-6.12, p-value=0.003), treatment category (AOR=4.62, 95% CI=1.12-16.74, p-value=0.027), and smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (AOR=3.47; 95% CI=1.76-6.69, p-value<0.001) were significantly related with treatment outcomes. Conclusion: Our study reported that the overall prevalence of successful treatment was 87.6%. Though, the rate of overall successful treatment was found satisfactory, but, to meet international standard strategy for tuberculosis, still, improvement needs to be achieved. Age, treatment category, and tuberculosis types were significantly correlated with treatment outcomes. Keywords: Pulmonary Tuberculosis; Treatment Outcomes; TB Smears