Treatment outcomes among pulmonary tuberculosis patients at treatment centers in Ibadan, Nigeria.
OBJECTIVE
To assess treatment outcomes and determinants of outcome among tuberculosis patients.


METHODS
A longitudinal study design involving a cohort of sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients at initiation of therapy, who were followed up to the end of treatment at eighth month.


METHODS
Tuberculosis treatment centers in Ibadan, Nigeria.


RESULTS
A total of 1,254 patients were followed up with a mean age of 35.0+/-3.3 years. The percentages of patients with treatment outcomes assessed in the study were as follows: cure (76.6%), failure (8.1%), default (6.6%), transferred out (4.8%), and death (1.9%). The cure rate varied significantly between treatment centers from 40 to 94.4% (P<0.05). The treatment centers located within the specialist health centers at Jericho and the University College Hospital had 50 and 75% cure rates, respectively.The mean age of cured patients was 31.2+/3.1 years which was significantly lower than the mean age of those with poor treatment outcomes (36.7+/3.5 years; P<0.05). Males had a higher risk of a poor treatment outcome (RR=1.8; 95% CI: 1.02-1.94) than females. Also, patients with a poor knowledge of tuberculosis had a higher risk of having a poor treatment outcome (RR=1.35; 95% CI: 1.25-1.62) compared to those with knowledge.


CONCLUSIONS
Variations in health center treatment outcomes and poor knowledge of tuberculosis among patients suggest that poor program implementation quality may be a major modifiable determinant of treatment outcomes in our environment.
Fatiregun
Akinola A
AA
Department of Epidemiology, Medical Statistics and Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. akinfati@yahoo.com
Ojo
Abimbola S
AS
Bamgboye
Afolabi E
AE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006763:Hospitals, Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult