Analysis of tuberculosis treatment outcomes among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Monitoring tuberculosis treatment outcomes and understanding the reasons for unsuccessful treatment are important indicators for evaluating the performance of the national tuberculosis control program. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes among pulmonary TB (PTB) patients and identify the predictors of unsuccessful treatment outcome. Treatment success rate of 67.8% among new and retreatment PTB patients and 69% in new smear positive PTB patients was observed. Close to 21% (20.9%) and 15.7% PTB and new smear positive PTB patients had loss to follow-up during treatment. Overall, older patients (AOR 1.02; 95% CI 1.01–1.0), smokers (AOR 1.65; 95% CI 1.02–2.67) and retreatment cases of TB (AOR 2.34; 95% CI 1.43–3.84) were at greater risk of having unsuccessful treatment outcomes. Moreover, sputum positivity at 2 months (AOR 13.78; 95% CI 5.09–37.26) was a significant predictor of poor treatment outcomes in new smear positive PTB patients. The treatment success rate among PTB patients was lower than the recommended 85% success rate. TB patients at higher risk of unsuccessful treatment outcomes should be provided with enhanced supervision and treatment monitoring to improve the success rate of TB management in Pakistan.