Tuberculosis treatment and factors associated with unsuccessful tuberculosis treatment outcome among TB/HIV co-infected patients in Rwanda: A retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT

Introduction Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains the main cause of death as an infectious agent of Tuberculosis in humans, particularly in resource-poor settings. Worldwide, Tuberculosis is one of the top 10 causes of mortality. Objective of the study This study aims to determine the outcomes of TB treatment and assess the factors associated with unsuccessful TB treatment outcome among TB/HIV co-infected patients in Rwanda. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of all TB/HIV co-infected patients reported in the national electronic TB reporting system (e-TB) by all health facilities from July 2019 to June 2020. Frequencies, proportions, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine factors associated with unsuccessful TB treatment. Results There were 1,144 people reported in the e-TB, however, only 987 were included in the study because 157 patients did not meet the inclusion criteria.The TB/HIV coinfected patients who were not given nutritional support, OR 7.3, 95%CI [1.4, 37.6] and those who were not on ART,OR15.3, 95%CI [3.6, 69.6],were more likely to have unsuccessful treatment outcome than their counterparts. Conclusion Unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes were highly observed among TB/HIV coinfected patients. The study recommended reinforcing nutritional support and early initiation of ART among TB/HIV co-infected patients.