[Treatment outcome of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before and after the induction of directly observed therapy (DOT)].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the treatment outcome of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before and after the induction of DOT.


METHODS
A retrospective study of the outcome of 239 tuberculosis patients treated during January 1996 to June 2003. We reviewed clinical charts collected on all patients with positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patients of non-DOT group had received a traditional unsupervised drug regimen, before we have undertaken DOT. The patients of DOT group received therapy under direct observation by nurses. We compared sputum smear conversion period, sputum culture conversion period, duration of admission and treatment, recurrence rate, treatment success (cure and completion of treatment) rate and incidence of adverse effects between DOT and non-DOT group.


RESULTS
Sputum conversion period and incidence of adverse effects were not significantly different between both groups. The duration of admission and treatment of DOT group was significantly shorter than those of non-DOT group. Rate of relapse and treatment success was not different between two groups. Over-80-year-old patients treated by DOT revealed a higher culture conversion rate after 2-month treatment than those who were not treated with DOT.


CONCLUSIONS
We could not prove the usefulness of DOT during hospitalization for tuberculosis patients from the points of treatment success rate and relapse rate.
Matsunaga
Kazuko
K
Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Omuta National Hospital, 1044-1, Tachibana, Omuta-shi, Fukuoka 837-0911 Japan. matsunaga-k@oomuta-h.com
Nagata
Nobuhiko
N
Iwata
Yasuhiro
Y
Kumazoe
Hiroyuki
H
Komori
Masashi
M
Wakamatsu
Kentarou
K
Kajiki
Akira
A
Kitahara
Yoshinari
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D023801:Directly Observed Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*