Abstract
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), defined as resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampin, is a growing global concern. Even after successful treatment of TB, there is still the issue of recurrence, of which the rate has been reported to be up to 3.4% in drug susceptible TB. The rate of recurrence could be higher in patients with drug-resistant TB, but comprehensive data is limited. We aimed to elucidate the rate of recurrence among patients with MDR-TB who finished their treatment successfully. A retrospective review was conducted of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) to elucidate the rate of recurrence after successful treatment. Of 123 MDR-TB patients, 90 were declared as “cure” or “treatment completed” after individualized therapy. Among 75 successfully treated MDR-TB patients with at least 1 complete year of follow-up, 4 (5.3%) had recurrence.
All patients with recurred MDR-TB were documented as “treatment completed” after treatment. Recurrence of MDR-TB is possible after successful treatment, especially in the “treatment completed” group.
- © 2011 ERS