Factors affecting defaulting from DOTS therapy under the national programme of tuberculosis control in Alexandria, Egypt.

This unmatched case-control study aimed to identify factors affecting default from therapy under the national programme of TB control in Alexandria, Egypt. Record reviews and structured interviews were made with 57 defaulters and 187 randomly selected controls. Univariate analysis showed 13 out of 54 factors, investigated were significantly associated with defaulting and, after stepwise logistic regression, 5 factors remained in the model: younger age (adjusted OR = 0.16), rural area of residence (OR = 12.9), long waiting times (OR = 5.81), poor physician-patient communication (OR = 3.06) and fear of information leakage (OR = 3.62). Reasons cited by defaulters included long distance to the clinic, unsuitable clinic times and long waiting times. The main factors associated with defaulting from the national programme of TB control in Alexandria, Egypt were service-related factors, which are amenable to improvement.