The effect of incarceration on TB treatment outcomes

BACKGROUND: TB notifications in Latin American prisons have more than doubled over the past two decades; however, treatment outcomes and their determinants among incarcerated individuals in this region are not well understood. METHODS: Newly diagnosed drug-susceptible TB cases reported to Brazil´s Information System for Notifiable Diseases ( Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação , SINAN) between January 2015 and December 2017 were included. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess socio-economic and clinical factors associated with treatment success among incarcerated individuals. RESULTS: Incarcerated individuals ( n = 17,776) had greater treatment success than non-incarcerated individuals ( n = 160,728; 82.2% vs. 75.1%; P P P CONCLUSION: TB treatment success among incarcerated individuals in Brazil is higher than non-incarcerated individuals, but both fall below WHO targets. Expanding the use of DOT and services for socially and medically vulnerable individuals may improve outcomes in carceral settings.