A study on co-morbidities and treatment outcome based on updated definitions among tuberculosis patients registered at a tuberculosis unit, Bangalore

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis remains one of the world‘s deadliest communicable diseases and a major public health problem and is a most common opportunistic infection in people living with HIV. The treatment outcome of Tuberculosis is influenced by numerous factors of which presence of co-morbidities is one of the factors. The present study was done with following objectives, to assess the proportion of co-morbidities and treatment outcome of the Tuberculosis cases registered for DOTS treatment at the Tuberculosis unit.Methods:  A Descriptive study was conducted at a Tuberculosis Unit in Bangalore with 80 subjects     selected by purposive sampling satisfying inclusion & exclusion criteria. Data was collected using a pretested semi structured proforma administered to all the study subjects by trained investigators. Data regarding socio demographic profile, profile of tuberculosis, medical co-morbidities which the subjects were suffering were collected and these patients were followed up till their treatment completion and outcome of treatment was given based on new WHO definitions.Results: The present study showed that, 38 (47.50%) of the study subjects had one or the other comorbidities with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease being the most common 18(22.5%) followed by Diabetes 13(16.25%). On determining the treatment outcome of the study subjects the overall treatment success rate was 86.25% which included the cured and treatment completed subjects. However there was no statistically significant (p = 0.614) association between treatment success and presence of comorbidity.Conclusions: The cure rate among the tuberculosis patients, following DOTS therapy was found to be slightly less than the RNTCP standards.