Treatment Outcomes and Associated Factors of Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Buri Ram Hospital

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the major public health concerns globally. Between 2021 and 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized Thailand as one of the countries with a high burden of TB, including new TB cases and TB associated with HIV infection. According to national data, the number of registered MDR-TB cases in Thailand during years 2020 to 2023 were 1,204, 790, 874, and 886 cases, respectively.
Objective: As there is currently limited data on the treatment outcomes and associated factors of MDR-TB in Buri Ram Province, this study aims to evaluate the treatment outcomes and associated factors in MDR-TB patients in Buri Ram, with the goal of applying the findings for future public health benefits.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2017 to December 2023. The study included data from patients aged 18 years and older who were diagnosed with MDR-TB at Buri Ram Hospital.
Results: A total of 116 patients were included in the study, of whom 85 (73.3%) were male and 31 (26.7%) were female, with a mean age of 49.1 years (range: 18–90 years). The average BMI was 18.5 kg/m². The most common comorbidities were diabetes (17.3%), HIV infection (14.6%), and hypertension (12.9%), while 56.0% of patients had no comorbidities. The majority of patients received a treatment regimen consisting of injectable drugs and long-term oral medications (50.0%). Short-term oral Bedaquiline containing regimen accounted for 29.3%, and long-term oral Bedaquiline containing regimen accounted for 20.7%. No patients received a short-term regimen that included injectable drugs. The average duration of treatment was 16.3 months (range: 9–24 months). Among the 116 MDR-TB patients, 78 patients (67.2%) achieved treatment success. A significant factor associated with successful treatment outcomes was patient age. Patients under 60 years old were 1.5 times more likely to achieve treatment success compared to those aged 60 years and older, with statistical significance (95% CI = 1.00–2.14, p-value = 0.019).
Conclusions: The treatment success rate for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis was 67.2%. Factors associated with treatment success included being under 60 years of age.