Factors that effect sputum culture conversion rate in hospitalized patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who were applied directly observation therapy and non-directly observation therapy.

Directly observation therapy (DOT) has been accepted as the basic method for controlling tuberculosis. The present study aimed to determine the risk factors that affect sputum culture conversion rate in the DOT managed and non-DOT managed hospitalized patients. The study was included 50 cases with positive sputum cultures between the dates April 2001-April 2002 when DOT was not applied and 60 cases between the dates May 2002-May 2003 when DOT was applied. The relation between sputum culture conversion rate and the risk factors of age, gender, cough, hemoptysis, primary drug sensitivity, high initial bacillary load, smoking and alcohol consumption, presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), and radiological dissemination were determined. In the present study, sputum culture conversion rate was found 68.3% in DOT managed patients, 62% in non-DOT managed patients. In DOT managed and non-DOT managed patients; there was no statistically significant difference between complaints of cough, sputum, night sweating, hemoptysis, DM, bacillary load, primary drug resistance and culture conversion rate. In DOT managed patients; a significant difference was determined between smoking and alcohol consumption and culture conversion rate. The factors determined above as being related with the sputum culture conversion rate were similar with the results of the other studies investigating the same topic. Despite no statistical significance, an increase in the sputum culture conversion rate in DOT managed patients, when compared with non-DOT managed patients was determined.