Sputum Conversion and Treatment Success among Tuberculosis Patients with Diabetes Treated under the Tuberculosis Control Programme in an Urban Setting in South India

Velayutham Banurekha; Tarun Bhatnagar; Swaminathan Savithri; Natarajan Dinesh Kumar; Boopathi Kangusamy; Sanjay Mehendale

doi:10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_179_16

Sputum Conversion and Treatment Success among Tuberculosis Patients with Diabetes Treated under the Tuberculosis Control Programme in an Urban Setting in South India

Indian J Community Med. 2017 Jul-Sep;42(3):180-182. doi: 10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_179_16.

Authors

Velayutham Banurekha¹, Tarun Bhatnagar², Swaminathan Savithri³, Natarajan Dinesh Kumar³, Boopathi Kangusamy⁴, Sanjay Mehendale⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Research, National Institute for Research in TB, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
² ICMR School of Public Health, National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
³ District Tuberculosis Centre, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁴ Department of Biostatistics, National Institute of Epidemiology, Indian Council of Medical Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁵ ICMR Head Quarters, New Delhi, India.

Abstract

Background: Studies from India on sputum conversion and tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes among TB patients with diabetes are limited.

Objective: The objective of this study is to estimate the proportion of sputum smear conversion and successful treatment outcomes among diabetic-TB patients treated under Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP).

Methodology: Information on TB disease, diabetes, sputum conversion, and treatment outcomes were collected from treatment cards of adult TB patients (age >18 years) treated in the District TB Centre TB Unit, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu from July 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015.

Results: Diabetes was documented in 163 (14%) of 1131 TB patients. Sputum conversion was in 107 (94%) of 114 smear positive-TB patients. Successful TB treatment outcome was in 116 (85%) of 136 patients and 107 (86%) of 124 new TB patients.

Conclusion: Sputum conversion was as per RNTCP target while treatment success rate among the new TB patients with diabetes was suboptimal.

Keywords: Diabetes; revised national tuberculosis control programme; sputum conversion; treatment success; tuberculosis.