Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of tuberculosis cases hospitalised in the intensive phase in Fiji

Is Tobacco Use Associated With Risk of Recurrence and Mortality Among People With TB?: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Associations between tobacco use and poor TB treatment outcomes are well documented. However, for important outcomes such as TB recurrence or relapse and mortality during treatment, as well as for associations with smokeless tobacco (ST), the evidence is not summarized systematically.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is tobacco use associated with risk of poor treatment outcomes among people with TB?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were searched on November 22, 2021. Epidemiologic studies reporting associations between tobacco use and at least one TB treatment outcome were eligible. Independent double-screening, extractions, and quality assessments were undertaken. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted for the two primary review outcomes (TB recurrence or relapse and mortality during treatment), and heterogeneity was explored using subgroups. Other outcomes were synthesized narratively.

RESULTS

Our searches identified 1,249 records, of which 28 were included in the meta-analyses. Based on 15 studies, higher risk of TB recurrence or relapse was found with ever using tobacco vs never using tobacco (risk ratio [RR], 1.78; 95% CI, 1.31-2.43; I2 = 85%), current tobacco use vs no tobacco use (RR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.59-2.40; I2 = 72%), and former tobacco use vs never using tobacco (RR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.21-2.80; I2 = 4%); heterogeneity arose from differences in study quality, design, and participant characteristics. Thirty-eight studies were identified for mortality, of which 13 reported mortality during treatment. Ever tobacco use (RR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.32-1.81; I2 = 0%) and current tobacco use (RR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.09-2.10; I2 = 87%) significantly increased the likelihood of mortality during treatment among people with TB compared with never using tobacco and not currently using tobacco, respectively; heterogeneity was explained largely by differences in study design. Almost all studies in the meta-analyses scored high or moderate on quality assessments. Narrative synthesis showed that tobacco use was a risk factor for other unfavorable TB treatment outcomes, as previously documented. Evidence on ST was limited, but identified studies suggested an increased risk for poor outcomes with its use compared with not using it.

INTERPRETATION

Tobacco use significantly increases the risk of TB recurrence or relapse and mortality during treatment among people with TB, highlighting the need to address tobacco use to improve TB outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRY

PROSPERO; No.: CRD42017060821; URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/.

Effect of smoking on tuberculosis treatment outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Numerous studies have explored an effect of cigarette smoking on tuberculosis treatment outcomes but with dissimilar conclusions.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of cigarette smoking on tuberculosis treatment outcomes.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane library and Google scholar databases were searched last on February 27, 2019. We applied the random-effects model for the analysis. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plot and Egger's regression. Furthermore, we performed Orwin's Fail-Safe N and cumulative meta-analysis to check for small studies' effect.

RESULTS

Out of 22 studies we included in the qualitative synthesis, 12 studies reported p-values less than 0.05 where smoking significantly favored poor treatment outcomes. The remaining 10 studies reported p-values larger than 0.05 implying that smoking does not affect the treatment outcomes. Twenty studies met the criteria for inclusion in a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis found that smoking significantly increased the likelihood of poor tuberculosis treatment outcomes by 51% (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.30 to 1.75 and I-square = 75.1%). In a sub-group analysis, the effect was higher for low- and middle-income countries (OR = 1.74; 95% CI = 1.31 to 2.30) and upper-middle-income economies (OR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.98) than for high-income ones (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.75) even though the differences in the effects among the strata were not statistically significant as demonstrated by overlapping of confidence intervals of the effects. Meta-regression analysis, adjusted for income economies, found the effect of smoking has not significantly improved over the years (p = 0.92) and thus implying neither of the covariates were source of the heterogeneity. Egger's regression test indicated that publication bias is unlikely (p = 0.403).

CONCLUSION

Cigarette smoking is significantly linked with poor tuberculosis treatment outcomes.

Factors predictive of the success of tuberculosis treatment: A systematic review with meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To produce pooled estimates of the global results of tuberculosis (TB) treatment and analyze the predictive factors of successful TB treatment.

METHODS

Studies published between 2014 and 2019 that reported the results of the treatment of pulmonary TB and the factors that influenced these results. The quality of the studies was evaluated according to the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale. A random effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). This review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) in February 2019 under number CRD42019121512.

RESULTS

A total of 151 studies met the criteria for inclusion in this review. The success rate for the treatment of drug-sensitive TB in adults was 80.1% (95% CI: 78.4-81.7). America had the lowest treatment success rate, 75.9% (95% CI: 73.8-77.9), and Oceania had the highest, 83.9% (95% CI: 75.2-91.0). In children, the success rate was 84.8% (95% CI: 77.7-90.7); in patients coinfected with HIV, it was 71.0% (95% CI: 63.7-77.8), in patients with multidrug-resistant TB, it was 58.4% (95% CI: 51.4-64.6), in patients with and extensively drug-resistant TB it was 27.1% (12.7-44.5). Patients with negative sputum smears two months after treatment were almost three times more likely to be successfully treated (OR 2.7; 1.5-4.8), whereas patients younger than 65 years (OR 2.0; 1.7-2.4), nondrinkers (OR 2.0; 1.6-2.4) and HIV-negative patients (OR 1.9; 1.6-2.5 3) were two times more likely to be successfully treated.

CONCLUSION

The success of TB treatment at the global level was good, but was still below the defined threshold of 85%. Factors such as age, sex, alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of sputum conversion at two months of treatment and HIV affected the success of TB treatment.

Strategic Planning for Tuberculosis Control in the Republic of Fiji

The tuberculosis (TB) health burden in Fiji has been declining in recent years, although challenges remain in improving control of the diabetes co-epidemic and achieving adequate case detection across the widely dispersed archipelago. We applied a mathematical model of TB transmission to the TB epidemic in Fiji that captured the historical reality over several decades, including age stratification, diabetes, varying disease manifestations, and incorrect diagnoses. Next, we simulated six intervention scenarios that are under consideration by the Fiji National Tuberculosis Program. Our findings show that the interventions were able to achieve only modest improvements in disease burden, with awareness raising being the most effective intervention to reduce TB incidence, and treatment support yielding the highest impact on mortality. These improvements would fall far short of the ambitious targets that have been set by the country, and could easily be derailed by moderate increases in the diabetes burden. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the interventions was limited by the extensive pool of latent TB infection, because the programs were directed at only active cases, and thus were unlikely to achieve the desired reductions in burden. Therefore, it is essential to address the co-epidemic of diabetes and treat people with latent TB infection.

Does the Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT) continue to influence health policy and/or practice?

Background: The Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT) is a successful model of integrated operational research and capacity building with about 90% of participants completing the training and publishing in scientific journals.

Objective: The study aims at assessing the influence of research papers from six SORT IT courses conducted between April 2014 and January 2015 on policy and/or practice.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional mixed-method study involving e-mail based, self-administered questionnaires sent to course participants coupled with telephone/Skype/in-person responses from participants, senior facilitators and local co-authors of course papers. A descriptive content analysis was performed to generate themes.

Results: Of 71 participants, 67 (94%) completed the course. A total of 67 papers (original research) were submitted for publication, of which 61 (91%) were published or were in press at the censor date (31 December 2016). Among the 67 eligible participants, 65 (97%) responded to the questionnaire. Of the latter, 43 (66%) research papers were self-reported to have contributed to a change in policy and/or practice by the course participants: 38 to a change in government policy or practice (26 at the national level, six at the subnational level and six at the local/hospital level); four to a change in organisational policy or practice; and one study fostered global policy development.

Conclusion: Nearly two-thirds of SORT IT course papers contributed to a change in policy and/or practice as reported by the participants. Identifying the actual linkage of research to policy/practice change requires more robust methodology, in-depth assessment and independent validation of the reported change with all concerned stakeholders.