Factors associated with the treatment success rate among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, Soroti City: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence and factors associated with the treatment success rate (TSR) among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients with MDR-TB treated at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022. A total of 79 patients' files were reviewed, and information was filled in a data abstraction form on treatment success, which was defined as completion and cure after the treatment. A modified Poisson regression was conducted to identify the factors associated with the TSR, with a level of significance set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

The TSR was 87.3% (n = 69). Factors significantly associated with low TSR included undernutrition (body mass index <18.5 kg/m2) (adjusted relative risk [aRR]: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66-0.94, P = 0.004) and having anemia (aRR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54-0.96, P = 0.028).

CONCLUSION

Our study identified a low TSR of 87.3% below the World Health Organization target of 90%, which was associated with having anemia and undernutrition. These findings highlight the need to integrate nutrition support and timely management of anemia through blood transfusion and iron supplementation to improve treatment outcomes for MDR-TB.