Recurrence after Successful Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Taiwan

PLoS One. 2017 Jan 26;12(1):e0170980. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170980. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Recurrence after successful treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is challenging because of limited retreatment options. This study aimed to determine rates and predictors of MDR-TB recurrence after successful treatment in Taiwan. Recurrence rates were analyzed by time from treatment completion in 295 M DR-TB patients in a national cohort. Factors associated with MDR-TB recurrence were examined using a multivariate Cox regression analysis. Ten (3%) patients experienced MDR-TB recurrence during a median follow-up of 4.8 years. The overall recurrence rate was 0.6 cases per 1000 person-months. Cavitation on chest radiography was an independent predictor of recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 6.3; 95% CI, 1.2-34). When the analysis was restricted to 215 patients (73%) tested for second-line drug susceptibility, cavitation (aHR = 10.2; 95% CI, 1.2-89) and resistance patterns of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) or pre-XDR-TB (aHR = 7.3; 95% CI, 1.2-44) were associated with increased risk of MDR-TB recurrence. In Taiwan, MDR-TB patients with cavitary lesions and resistance patterns of XDR-TB or pre-XDR-TB are at the highest risk of recurrence. These have important implications for MDR-TB programs aiming to optimize post-treatment follow-up and early detection of recurrent MDR-TB.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antitubercular Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Databases, Factual
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis*
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Recurrence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Taiwan
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / diagnostic imaging
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / drug therapy*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antitubercular Agents

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.