Research Article
Temesgen Fiseha, Teklemicha
Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious global public health problem and is the second most common cause of death from infectious disease. The aim of this study was to assess trends of TB and treatment outcomes in the past four years in Mizan Aman General Hospital, Southwestern Ethiopia. Methods: We analyzed the records of 2150 tuberculosis patients registered at Mizan Aman General Hospital from June 2010 to July 2013. Tuberculosis type and treatment outcome were categorized according to the national tuberculosis control program guideline. Data analysis was performed using the statistical package SPSS for windows, version 20. Results: From the total of 2150 TB patients registered during the indicated period, 2090 (97.2%) were new cases and 60 (2.8%) were re-treated cases. Of which, 1125 (52.3%) were smear negative pulmonary TB (SNPTB) cases and the rest, 532 (24.7%) and 493 (23%) were smear positive pulmonary TB (SPPTB) and extra pulmonary TB (EPTB) cases respectively. Trends of all forms of TB increased from 363 in 2010 to 634 in 2011, and decreased in the year 2012 (330), and then, increased in the year 2013 (823). Regarding treatment outcomes, 561 (26.1%) were successfully treated, 26 (1.2%) defaulted, 49 (2.3%) died, and 1514(70.4%) patients were transferred out. Age and year of enrollment of TB patients were associated with higher treatment success (P<0.05). On the other hand, patient category, HIV status and year of enrollment of TB patients were significantly associated with death rate (P<0.05). Conclusion: TB in the hospital showed a fluctuating pattern for the last four years and the proportion of SNPTB cases was highest compared to cases of SPPTB and EPTB. The treatment success of all types of TB was unsatisfactory, which is a serious public health concern that needs to be addressed.