title: MDR- and XDR-TB among suspected drug-resistant TB patients in a tertiary care hospital in India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the anti-tubercular drug resistance pattern among suspected cases of drug-resistant TB.
  
  
  METHODS
  First and second line drug susceptibility data were retrospectively analysed for all suspected cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), presenting to the Pulmonary Medicine department of tertiary care hospital in South India from 2003 to 2007.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Out of 177 cases of suspected drug-resistant TB, 103 (58.2%) cases were multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Out of 75 cases of MDR-TB for whom second-line drug susceptibility test was performed, 45 (60.0%) cases met the criteria of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB, which is very high when compared with existing worldwide data on XDR-TB (6.6% cases of MDR-TB). In comparison with non-MDR-TB cases, MDR and XDR-TB cases had a history of significantly higher duration of anti-TB treatment (ATT) and significantly higher exposure to multiple ATT regimens. Past exposure to second-line anti-TB drugs was significantly high in XDR-TB cases than in MDR-TB and non MDR-TB cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the high burden of XDR- and MDR-TB among TB patients coming to tertiary care hospitals in India.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. drprincej@gmail.com
authors.forename: Prince
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Richa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Devasahayam Jesudas
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Christopher
authors.forename: Balamugesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thankagunam
authors.forename: Balaji
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Veeraraghavan
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054908:Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents