Assessment of Pattern of Drug-resistant TB and Associated Factors in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India

Background and aims: The emergence and spread of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are greatly complicating tuberculosis (TB) control efforts in many countries. In India, in 2018, out of 2.4 million notified cases of TB, there were an estimated 66359 and 3,882 laboratory-confirmed cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) respectively. The main objective of this study was to assess pattern of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and factors associated with it in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care center in Rewa district from March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020 (12 months). Taking the census method into account, all of 186 DR-TB cases registered at District Tuberculosis Centre (DTC), Rewa district, with the age of 18 years and above were included in the study. All the patients were interviewed thoroughly using a pre-tested, pre-validated, and reliable pro forma which included information regarding socio-demographic profile and history of TB. For statistical analysis, chi-square test (with/without Yate’s correction) was applied and a P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the present study, 71.6% and 28.4% of the cases were reported to be male and female, respectively. Additionally, 78.4% of the study subjects belonged to the age group of less than 45 years. Besides, rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) was found to be the most prevalent type (56.4%), followed by isoniazid-resistant TB (HR-TB) (13.4%), and mixed pattern (12.4%) of DR-TB. Conclusion: DR-TB was more commonly observed in males of the economically productive age group (45 years and below), which can affect the social and economic development of individual, society, and nation.