Risk factors for mortality among multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients in treatment follow-up centers, eastern Ethiopia: a retrospective follow-up study

Abstract

Introduction: multi-drug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is associated with an increased risk of mortality among patients on treatment. Ethiopia is the countries with the high MDR-TB burden. This study aimed to determine the extent of mortality and associated factors among MDR-TB patients on treatment in eastern Ethiopia.

Methods: all completely documented data from June 2014 to January 2017 on MDR-TB patients were extracted from patients´ records, between December 2016 and January 2017, in Dader and Dire Dawa MDR treatment follow-up centers. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics of MDR-TB patients, and treatment outcomes were extracted from the patients' records. Descriptive statistical methods were used to characterize the sociodemographic variables and the extent of mortality. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with mortality using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was considered at a P-value of less than 0.05.

Results: among 150 MDR-TB patients, 60.7% of them were males and their mean age was 30.34 + 1.06 years. In this study, the overall mortality rate was 11.3% (95% CI= 6.74-17.52). Previous history of ant-TB treatment (AOR=6.7, 95% CI: 1.59 - 17.15, P= 0.019), hospitalization (AOR=19.55, 95% CI: 6.23-43.37, P=0.001), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection (AOR=6.3, 95% CI: 2.98- 14.0, P= 0.008) were significantly associated with this mortality.

Conclusion: considerably high rate of mortality among MDR-TB patients on treatment highlights the need for more efforts in TB treatment and monitoring the program to limit mortality among MDR-TB patients in the study settings.