An Evaluation of Treatment Outcomes in a Cohort of Clients on the DOTS Strategy, 2012-2016

Ato Kwamena Tetteh; Edward Agyarko; Joseph Otchere; Langbong Bimi; Irene Ayi

doi:10.1155/2018/4287842

An Evaluation of Treatment Outcomes in a Cohort of Clients on the DOTS Strategy, 2012-2016

Tuberc Res Treat. 2018 Feb 15:2018:4287842. doi: 10.1155/2018/4287842. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Ato Kwamena Tetteh¹, Edward Agyarko², Joseph Otchere³, Langbong Bimi⁴, Irene Ayi³

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory Department, Metropolitan Hospital, P.O. Box 174, Cape Coast, Ghana.
² Department of Community Medicine and Health, Anglican University College of Technology, P.O. Box 74, Nkoranza, Ghana.
³ Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Department of Parasitology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
⁴ Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

We present, for the first time, an evaluation of treatment outcomes in a cohort at a TB referral centre in the Central Region of Ghana. Of the 213 clients placed on DOTS, 59.2% (126/213) were sputum smear-positive. An overall cure rate of 90.2% (51.6% cured + 37.6% completed) and a death rate of 8.5% (18/213) were estimated. Of the number of clients who died, 5.7% (12/213) were males (χ² = 2.891, p = 0.699; LR = 3.004, p = 0.699). Deaths were only recorded among clients who were > 19 years old (χ² = 40.319, p = 0.099; LR = 41.244, p = 0.083). Also, 0.9% (2/213) was lost to follow-up, while 1.4% (3/213) had treatment failure. In total, 13.6% (7.0%, 15/213 males, and 6.6%, 14/213 females) of clients who were placed on DOTS were HIV seropositive. Ages of 40-49 years had the highest number, 13/213 (6.1%), infected with HIV, though the difference among the remaining age groups was not statistically significant (χ² = 9.621, p = 0.142). Furthermore, 7.0% (15/213) had TB/HIV coinfection. Out of them, 9 were cured and 5 died at home, while 1 had treatment failure. Tuberculosis/HIV infection prevention advocacy and interventions that address sociodemographic determinants of unfavourable treatment outcomes are urgently required to augment national efforts towards control.