Changes in body weight and tuberculosis treatment outcome in Vietnam.

Abstract

The setting for this study was the National Tuberculosis Programme, Viet Nam, 2008. It's objective was to assess the relationship between changes in body weight and tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcome.

All treatment cards of patients from a sample of 30 randomly selected treatment units in the country were analysed. Of 2609 patients, 2506 (96.1%) had a successful treatment outcome. The median body weight of all patients at diagnosis was 46.0 kg (25th and 75th percentiles 41 - 51). New sputum smear-positive TB patients with a successful treatment outcome gained an average of 2.6 kg during treatment. Patients with weight loss during the first 2 months of treatment were more likely to have an unsuccessful outcome than patients without (OR 4.9, 95%CI 3.0 - 7.9). Patients weighing

The study concluded that patients failing to gain weight or losing weight, particularly during the first 2 months of treatment, require particular attention, as they appear to be at an increased risk of unsuccessful treatment outcome.

Citation

Hoa, NB.; Lauritsen, JM.; Rieder, HL. Changes in body weight and tuberculosis treatment outcome in Viet Nam. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (2013) 17 (1) 61-66. [DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.12.0369]

Changes in body weight and tuberculosis treatment outcome in Vietnam.

Published 1 January 2013