Understand the Burden of MDR TB in DHQ/Teaching Hospital Gujranwala

Abstract

Resistance to anti-tuberculosis (TB) medicines is a major public health threat in most countries of the World. As small no. of representative and quality-assured information on the magnitude of this problem existed in Pakistan, a survey was conducted in the DHQ/Teaching Hospital Gujranwala.Between January 2017 and January 2018, 212 consecutively diagnosed new culture-positive TB patients residing in District Gujranwala were enrolled in the survey. Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were obtained from each patient and tested for susceptibility to Rifampin Resistant. Multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB was found in 19.2% of new patients. Overall, nearly one in 8 patients enrolled had MDR-TB. Patients with less than 25 yrs of age have shown a higher odds ratio of multi-drug resistant TB than those aged >55 yrs.The findings of this survey in Gujranwala District are alarming and represent the high proportions of MDR-TB . This study greatly contributes to the understanding of the burden of drug-resistant TB in urban areas of Gujranwala.