Insight into socioeconomic status of Multidrug resistant TB patients treated in a tertiary care hospital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Background: The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains has resulted in an increase in tuberculosis, which seems to be a major threat to community well-being worldwide. Approximately 3.6 % of new tuberculosis patients, with MDR-TB reaching 20% in the past, were treated with TB treatment. Pakistan is ranked fifth among the 22 countries with the highest prevalence of MDR-TB. According to WHO estimates, new MDR-TB cases account for 4.2 percent of all cases, while recurrence/retreatment cases account for 16 percent of all cases. This ratio accounts for about 15,000 MDRTBcases in Pakistan each year. Methodology: From January 2018 to December 2020, 377 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study at the Department of Pulmonology at Lady Reading Hospital in Pakistan, which serves as the provincial reference point for the management of MDR-TB. To collect data, consecutive sampling was used. Results: Of the 377 patients, 80 (21.2%) are between the ages of 10 and 29, and indeed the sample data also include 212 (56.2%) males and 165 (43.8%) females. The married proportion was 217 (57.5%), 153 (40.6%) of patients had less than Rs 25000 monthly wages, and 98 (25.9 %) of these MDR-TB patients were illiterate. In addition to the monthly wages, 247 (65.5%) of patients are financially dependent on someone other than their brother, father, or husband. Conclusion: MDR-TB treatment and management face one of the most serious risks, owing to the persistence and potential consequences of infection and the confined social and economic intervention strategies. These studies have suggested significant improvement in both adherence to treatment and cure rates among MDR-TB patients. Keywords: MDR-TB; Socioeconomic Status; Peshawar; Pakistan