Yale University

Treatment outcomes among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

TitleTreatment outcomes among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsOrenstein, Evan W., Sanjay Basu, Sarita N. Shah, Jason R. Andrews, Gerald H. Friedland, Anthony P. Moll, Neel R. Gandhi, and Alison P. Galvani
JournalThe Lancet infectious diseases
Volume9
Issue3
Pagination153-61
Date Published2009 Mar
ISSN1473-3099
KeywordsAntitubercular Agents, Clinical Trials as Topic, Directly Observed Therapy, Humans, Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant
AbstractMultidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis is a growing clinical and public-health concern. To evaluate existing evidence regarding treatment regimens for MDR tuberculosis, we used a Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis of the available therapeutic studies to assess how the reported proportion of patients treated successfully is influenced by differences in treatment regimen design, study methodology, and patient population. Successful treatment outcome was defined as cure or treatment completion. 34 clinical reports with a mean of 250 patients per report met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis shows that the proportion of patients treated successfully improved when treatment duration was at least 18 months, and if patients received directly observed therapy throughout treatment. Studies that combined both factors had significantly higher pooled success proportions (69%, 95% credible interval [CI] 64-73%) than other studies of treatment outcomes (58%, 95% CI 52-64%). Individualised treatment regimens had higher treatment success (64%, 95% CI 59-68%) than standardised regimens (54%, 95% CI 43-68%), although the difference was not significant. Treatment approaches and study methodologies were heterogeneous across studies. Many important variables, including patients' HIV status, were inconsistently reported between studies. These results underscore the importance of strong patient support and treatment follow-up systems to develop successful MDR tuberculosis treatment programmes.
DOI10.1016/S1473-3099(09)70041-6
Alternate JournalLancet Infect Dis

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