Gender Differences in Treatment Outcome among Tuberculosis Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis in Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Gender differences among tuberculosis (TB) patients are notable; however, studies evaluating the impact of gender on treatment outcomes have reported inconsistent results. Aim: The aim of the current study is to observe gender differences among TB patients and to evaluate the relationship between gender and treatment outcome. Method: This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients suffering from pulmonary and extra pulmonary TB who were treated at Khyber teaching hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. Patients were categorized by gender, and association with their demographics and clinical characteristics was observed. Treatment outcomes were evaluated on the basis of smear testing at the end of treatment and the results were compared with the gender of TB patients. Result: A total of 472 TB patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, which included 238 (50.4%) male and 234 (49.6%) female patients. Two hundred and twenty-eight (48.3%) male patients and 230 (48.7%) female patients were new TB cases; 224 (47.4%) male and 216 (45.6%) female patients had pulmonary TB. Patients' age group, employment status and smoking status had a statistically significant association with gender (p = 0.002, p = 0.02, p 55 years (OR 0.45, p < 0.001). Of 472 TB patients, treatment outcome was unsuccessful in 152 (32.2%) male and 136 (28.8%) female patients, whereas 86 (18.2%) male and 98 (20.7%) female patients had successful treatment outcomes. There was no statistical relation observed between treatment outcome and gender. Conclusion: The ratio of male to female TB patients in the current study was almost the same. Comparatively, the treatment failure rate was high in males as compared to female TB patients.