Effects of Treatment Interruption Patterns on Treatment Success Among Patients With Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Armenia and Abkhazia

Methods.aEuro integral We conducted a retrospective analysis among patients with MDR tuberculosis enrolled in 2 MDR tuberculosis programs using regimens recommended by the World Health Organization under directly observed therapy. Treatment outcomes were defined as successful if the patient was cured or completed treatment and unsuccessful if the patient died or defaulted from treatment or if treatment failed. The effect of patterns of interruptions on treatment outcomes was assessed through multivariate logistic regression. Results.aEuro integral A total of 393 patients with MDR tuberculosis were included in the study; 171 (43.5%) had a successful outcome, and 222 (56.5%) an unsuccessful outcome: 39 (9.9%) died, 56 (14.3%) had failed treatment, and 127 (32.3%) defaulted from treatment. In multivariate analysis, long interruptions (a parts per thousand yen3 days) (adjusted odds ratio, 3.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.66-8.98) and short gaps (< 10 days) between interruptions (3.94; 1.76-8.81) were independently associated with an unsuccessful treatment outcome. Discussion.aEuro integral This study shows that in a directly observed therapy-based MDR tuberculosis program, treatment interruptions at short intervals of a parts per thousand yen3 days directly affect treatment outcome.