Pattern of prevalence, risk factors and treatment outcomes among Egyptian patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic specific bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis) but, in a minority of cases other organs may also be involved (extra-pulmonary tuberculosis). Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) threatens global TB control and is a major public health concern in several countries. Objective: To detect the pattern of prevalence, risk factors and treatment outcomes among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) previously or currently admitted to different chest sanatoria in Egypt starting from January 2006 through August 2015 Methods: This retrospective study included 577 MDR-TB patients admitted to Egyptian Chest Hospitals in the period between January 2006 and August 2015. Their files had been analyzed including medical history, chest examination and investigations. Drug regimens of resistance used for treatment and the fate of treatment were reported. Results: Patients were 438 males (75.9%) and 139 females (24.1%). Their ages ranged from 2 to 76 years (39.04 ± 13.06). 44.5% were unemployed and 55.5% were employed. 18.2% were diabetics, 2.6% had HCV and 14.4% had chronic chest diseases. Acquired resistance was 96.4% and primary resistance was 3.6%. The fate of MDR-TB treatment was as follow: cured cases were 300 (52%), defaulted patients were 54 (9.4%), treatment failure was 17 cases (2.9%), 52 cases (9%) completed their treatments, 96 cases (16.6%) were still under treatment and 57 cases (9.9%) died. Conclusions: Emergence of MDR-TB has the potential to be a serious public health problem in Egypt that necessitates strengthened TB control and improved continuous monitoring of therapy.