L Surkova1, H L Horevich1, L P Titov2, E Sahalchyk1, M Arjomandzadegan3, S Alinejad4, M Sadrnia5. 1. Research Institute for Pulmonology and Phthisiology, Belarus. 2. Belarusian Research Institute for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Belarus. 3. Tuberculosis and Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran. Electronic address: mmatinam81@yahoo.com. 4. Payamnoor University, Iran. 5. Payame Noor University, 19395-4697, Tehran, I.R. of Iran.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: A descriptive study of drug-resistance patterns by age group and among culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients referred to the Research Institute for Pulmonology and Phthisiology of Belarus between January 2007 and January 2008. METHODS: Drug susceptibility tests were performed for first- and second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Patients were clustered into five resistance categories: mono-resistant (Mono); multi-drug resistant (MDR); all first-line drug resistance (MDR+ES); and extensively drug resistant (XDR). The patients were divided into primary and secondary and into six groups based on age in years (<15, 15-24, 25-44, 45-54, 55-65, and >65). RESULTS: An analysis was undertaken of information gathered from 934TB patients, of whom 660 were men (70.67±1.5%) and 274 were women (29.33±1.5%) (p<0.001). In the age group 25-65years, men outnumbered women between 2.7 and 9.0 times higher. Cases of secondary TB totaled 414 (52.02±1.77%), and primary cases totaled 382 (47.98±1.77%) (p>0.05); 756 of the patients were of working age, and 170 were of non-working age, of whom 570 men of working age (18-60years) and 188 women of working age (18-55years) participated. Males were significantly more likely to have MDR-TB than females. All cases with XDR-TB were older than 14years old. CONCLUSION: As Belarus is a high-burden MDR-TB country and treatment of drug-resistant TB is long and complicated, the findings of this study provided useful information to deliver effective community-based disease control measures and a proposed plane for the effective management of drug-resistant TB at the national level.
OBJECTIVE: A descriptive study of drug-resistance patterns by age group and among culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients referred to the Research Institute for Pulmonology and Phthisiology of Belarus between January 2007 and January 2008. METHODS: Drug susceptibility tests were performed for first- and second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Patients were clustered into five resistance categories: mono-resistant (Mono); multi-drug resistant (MDR); all first-line drug resistance (MDR+ES); and extensively drug resistant (XDR). The patients were divided into primary and secondary and into six groups based on age in years (<15, 15-24, 25-44, 45-54, 55-65, and >65). RESULTS: An analysis was undertaken of information gathered from 934TB patients, of whom 660 were men (70.67±1.5%) and 274 were women (29.33±1.5%) (p<0.001). In the age group 25-65years, men outnumbered women between 2.7 and 9.0 times higher. Cases of secondary TB totaled 414 (52.02±1.77%), and primary cases totaled 382 (47.98±1.77%) (p>0.05); 756 of the patients were of working age, and 170 were of non-working age, of whom 570 men of working age (18-60years) and 188 women of working age (18-55years) participated. Males were significantly more likely to have MDR-TB than females. All cases with XDR-TB were older than 14years old. CONCLUSION: As Belarus is a high-burden MDR-TB country and treatment of drug-resistant TB is long and complicated, the findings of this study provided useful information to deliver effective community-based disease control measures and a proposed plane for the effective management of drug-resistant TB at the national level.