Therapeutic strategies and outcomes of MDR and pre-XDR-TB in Italy: a nationwide study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Treatment outcomes in multidrug‐resistant TB (MDR‐TB) patients are suboptimal in several low‐incidence countries.METHODS: The primary outcome measure was the proportion of successfully treated patients in Italy during an 18‐year period. Secondary outcomes were treatment outcomes in certain drug‐containing regimens and the possibility for the WHO shorter MDR‐TB regimen.RESULTS: In the 191 patients included (median age at admission: 33 years; 67.5% male, following drug‐resistance patterns were found: MDR‐TB in 68.6%, pre‐extensively drug‐resistant TB (pre‐XDR‐TB) in 30.4% and XDR‐TB in 1.1% patients. The most frequently prescribed drugs were fluoroquinolones in 84.6% cases, amikacin in 48.7%, linezolid in 34.6% and meropenem/clavulanic acid in 29.5%. The median duration of treatment was 18 months. Treatment success was achieved in 71.2% patients, of whom, 44% were cured and 27.2% completed treatment. Treatment success rates did not statistically differ between the MDR‐ (68.8%) and pre‐XDR‐TB (77.6%) groups (P = 0.26). Treatment success rates had large variability between North and South of Italy (81.3% vs. 53.3%). Only 22.5% of the cases would have been eligible for shorter MDR‐TB regimensCONCLUSION: Our study highlights variability in treatment outcomes in MDR‐ and pre‐XDR‐TB patients. Study findings confirmed the potential utility of linezolid and, for patients with limited oral options, meropenem/clavulanic acid and amikacin.