Tuberculosis Treatment and Factors Associated with Unsuccessful Tuberculosis Treatment Outcome among TB/HIV co-infected Patients in Rwanda: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains the main cause of death as an infectious agent of Tuberculosis in humans, particularly in resource-poor settings. Worldwide, Tuberculosis is one of the top 10 causes of mortality. Objective of the study: This study aims to determine the outcomes of TB treatment and assess the factors associated with unsuccessful TB treatment outcome among TB/HIV co-infected patients in Rwanda. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all TB/HIV co-infected patients reported in the national electronic TB reporting system (e-TB) by all health facilities from July 2019 to June 2020. Frequencies, proportions, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine factors associated with unsuccessful TB treatment. Results: There were 1,144 people reported in the e-TB, however, only 987 were included in the study because 157 patients did not meet the inclusion criteria.The TB/HIV co-infected patients who were not given nutritional support, OR 7.3, 95%CI [1.4, 37.6] and those who were not on ART,OR15.3, 95%CI [3.6, 69.6],were more likely to have unsuccessful treatment outcome than their counterparts. Conclusion: Unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes were highly observed among TB/HIV co-infected patients. The study recommended reinforcing nutritional support and early initiation of ART among TB/HIV co-infected patients.