Pulmonary tuberculosis in adults: factors associated with mortality at a Ghanaian teaching hospital.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of global mortality. The aim of this study was to compare factors associated with poor outcome (death) and good outcome (cure) of adult patients receiving treatment for pulmonary TB (PTB) at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. The case notes and chest radiographs of 80 such patients who died were retrospectively reviewed and compared to 80 patients who were cured during the same period. Patients who died were 3.4 times more likely to be HIV-positive (p < 0.001). Mortality was also associated with increased age (p < 0.001), residence in a rural area (p < 0.05) sputum smear-negative disease (p < 0.01), and more prolonged symptom duration prior to initial diagnosis (p < 0.05). Furthermore, patients who died were 2.1 times more likely to have a history of previous TB treatment (p < 0.01), 2.0 times more likely to have previously defaulted from treatment ((p < 0.05), and 2.9 times more likely to have > or = 5 chest radiographic zones affected by disease (p < 0.001). In conclusion, although mortality among patients with PTB is strongly associated with HIV infection in this community, other factors identified reflect late diagnosis, poor treatment compliance and inadequate resources for diagnosis and treatment of TB in rural areas. Improved rates of diagnosis, enhancement of treatment compliance and decentralization of TB services to the district level may therefore help to reduce mortality from TB.