Journal of Infection and Public Health (Jun 2023)

Anemia and anti-tuberculosis treatment outcome in persons with pulmonary tuberculosis: A multi-center prospective cohort study

  • Mariana Araújo-Pereira,
  • Betânia M.F. Nogueira,
  • Renata Spener-Gomes,
  • Anna C.C. Carvalho,
  • Flávia Marinho Sant’Anna,
  • Marina C. Figueiredo,
  • Megan M. Turner,
  • Afrânio L. Kritski,
  • Marcelo Cordeiro-Santos,
  • Valeria C. Rolla,
  • Timothy R. Sterling,
  • Bruno B. Andrade,
  • Alice M.S. Andrade,
  • Vanessa Nascimento,
  • Juan Manuel Cubillos-Angulo,
  • Hayna Malta-Santos,
  • Jéssica Rebouças-Silva,
  • Saulo R.N. Santos,
  • André Ramos,
  • Pedro Brito,
  • Carolina A.S. Schmaltz,
  • Alysson G. Costa,
  • Leandro Sousa Garcia,
  • Brenda K. de Sousa Carvalho,
  • Bruna P. de Loiola,
  • Adriano Gomes-Silva,
  • Francine P. Ignácio,
  • Maria C. Lourenço,
  • Elisangela C. Silva,
  • Mayla Mello,
  • Alexandra B. Souza,
  • Beatriz Barreto-Duarte,
  • Michael S. Rocha,
  • Aline Benjamin,
  • Adriana S.R. Moreira,
  • Jamile G. de Oliveira,
  • Solange Cavalcante,
  • Betina Durovni,
  • José R. Lapa-e-Silva

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 6
pp. 974 – 980

Abstract

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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major plague of humanity. People with TB (PWTB) are commonly anemic. Here, we assessed whether the severity of anemia in PWTB prior to anti-TB treatment (ATT) was a risk factor for an unfavorable outcome. Methods: Patients ≥ 18 years old with culture-confirmed drug-susceptible pulmonary TB enrolled between 2015 and 2019 in a multi-center Brazilian cohort were followed for up to 24 months and classified according to anemia severity (mild, moderate, and severe), based on hemoglobin levels. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed to assess whether anemia was associated with unfavorable outcome (death, failure, loss to follow-up, regimen modification or relapse), compared to treatment success (cure or treatment completion). Results: Among 786 participants who met inclusion criteria, 441 (56 %) were anemic at baseline. Patients with moderate/severe anemia were more HIV-seropositive, as well as more symptomatic and had higher frequencies of unfavorable outcomes compared to the other groups. Moderate/severe anemia (adjusted OR [aOR]: 7.80, 95 %CI:1.34–45.4, p = 0.022) was associated with death independent of sex, age, BMI, HIV and glycemic status. Conclusion: Moderate/severe anemia prior to ATT was a significant risk factor for death. Such patients should be closely monitored given the high risk of unfavorable ATT outcomes.

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