title: Predictors of treatment failure among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Mulago hospital, Uganda.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early identification of Tuberculosis (TB) treatment failure using cost effective means is urgently needed in developing nations. The study set out to describe affordable predictors of TB treatment failure in an African setting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the predictors of treatment failure among patients with sputum smear positive pulmonary TB at Mulago hospital. The study was carried out in the TB clinic of Mulago hospital Kampala, Uganda. This was an unmatched case control study where fifty patients with a diagnosis of TB treatment failure (cases) and 100 patients declared cured after completing anti TB treatment (controls) were recruited into the study. Cases were compared with controls to determine predictors of treatment failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant predictors of treatment failure in this study included a positive sputum smear at 2 months of TB treatment (OR 20.63, 95%CI 5.42- 78.41) and poor adherence to anti TB treatment (OR 14.59, 95%CI 3.04-70.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified a treatment related and a simple laboratory predictor of TB treatment failure in Mulago hospital which may be used in resource limited settings for early recognition of those at risk and early intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Namukwaya
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Nakwagala
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mulekya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mayanja-Kizza
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mugerwa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D010361:Patients; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014454:Uganda
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents