Social stigma and knowledge of tuberculosis and HIV among patients with both diseases in Thailand.

INTRODUCTION: Disease-related stigma and knowledge are believed to be associated with patients' willingness to seek treatment and adherence to treatment. HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) presents unique challenges, because TB and HIV are both medically complex and stigmatizing diseases. In Thailand, we assessed knowledge and beliefs about these diseases among HIV-infected TB patients. METHODS: We prospectively interviewed and examined HIV-infected TB patients from three provinces and one national referral hospital in Thailand from 2005-2006. At the beginning of TB treatment, we asked patients standardized questions about TB stigma, TB knowledge, and HIV knowledge. Responses were grouped into scores; scores equal to or greater than the median score of study population were considered high. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with scores. RESULTS: Of 769 patients enrolled, 500 (65%) reported high TB stigma, 177 (23%) low TB knowledge, and 379 (49%) low HIV knowledge. Patients reporting high TB stigma were more likely to have taken antibiotics before TB treatment, to have first visited a traditional healer or private provider, to not know that monogamy can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV infection, and to have been hospitalized at enrollment. Patients with low TB knowledge were more likely to have severe TB disease, to be hospitalized at enrollment, to be treated at the national infectious diseases referral hospital, and to have low HIV knowledge. Patients with low HIV knowledge were more likely to know a TB patient and to have low TB knowledge. DISCUSSION: We found that stigma and low disease-specific knowledge were common among HIV-infected TB patients and associated with similar factors. Further research is needed to determine whether reducing stigma and increasing TB and HIV knowledge among the general community and patients reduces diagnostic delay and improves patient outcomes.

Treatment default among urban tuberculosis patients, Thailand.

Tuberculosis treatment default, missing medical appointments for two consecutive months or more, is a serious problem not only for individuals but also for societies and health-care systems. Most research focuses only on patient factors without considering health-care system factors' effects on treatment default. The study purpose was to examine the influence of process of care on treatment default. Structured interviews and medical chart reviews were conducted in 160 tuberculosis patients receiving care at a tertiary hospital in Thailand. The samples included 54 patients with treatment default and 106 patients with treatment completion. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to examine relationships among the variables. After adjusting for patient factors, having severe medication side-effect and travel time to clinic increased treatment default. The patient factor of being paid on a daily basis was also significantly associated with treatment default. Evidence indicates that some process of care factors influence treatment default. Findings can be applied to practice levels to maintain patients until treatment completion.

Medical characteristics and tuberculosis treatment outcomes in an urban tertiary hospital, Thailand.

The purpose of this study was to describe medical characteristics and assess treatment outcomes at a respiratory clinic, tertiary hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. One hundred seventy-seven patients diagnosed as having any type of TB and having taken anti-TB drugs for one month were included in the study. The patients were interviewed the end of the first month and their medical files were reviewed at the end of treatment to obtained the treatment outcome. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used in the data analyses. Of the total of 177 patients, 33.3% were new smear-positive, 19.2% were new smear-negative, 18.1% were extra-pulmonary TB, and 29.4% were other. The prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection was 33% (18 of 54). Resistance to at least one anti-TB drug was 31.6% (6 of 19). Due to high treatment default rates, treatment completion rates were low, 64.4% in new smear-positives, 61.8% in new smear-negatives, 71.9% in extra-pulmonary TB, and 46.2% in other. Treatment default rates significantly differed among the four types of TB (chi2 = 8.3, p = .04). The findings indicate a high proportion of extra-pulmonary TB, high prevalence of TB/HIV coinfection, and low treatment completion in urban TB patients at the tertiary hospital. Interventions are needed to integrate the strengths of the tertiary hospital regarding the availability of chest specialists and advance diagnostic tools into the other levels of health service to improve treatment outcomes in urban populations.