Characterization of Prognostic Factors for Recovery in Tuberculosis Patients In Northern Ghana

Abstract

This study was conducted in the three Northern Regions of Ghana. A total 1,199 patients who enrolled for treatment at various treatment centers across Northern Ghana were considered for the study. The study characterized the prognostic factors for recovery in tuberculosis patients in the study area. The Kaplan-Meier estimator and binary logistic regression was used for the analysis. It was revealed that relapse patients are at increased risk of treatment failure compared to those with new cases whiles male patients have about 53% high risk of treatment failure compared to their female counterparts. It was also realized that for each one week increase in time of treatment after treatment initiation, the chance of recovery increases by 50%. Also, treatment success was found to be related to age with elderly and infants more prone to treatment failure. It was found that HIV/AIDS patients have about 24% high risk of treatment failure compared to their counterparts who non reactive to HIV/AIDS. There is therefore a pressing need for enormous care for these vulnerable groups to stem the menace of the tuberculosis disease in Northern Ghana.

Keywords: Prognostic factors, recovery, logistic regression, treatment failure, Kaplan-Meier estimator