Assessment of treatment outcomes of daily fixed-dose combination therapy among drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis patients: A prospective study from Bengaluru, India

The annual incidence cases report depicts India as having the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden globally. Following a programmatic change, the daily fixed-dose combination (FDC) anti-TB treatment regimens were introduced by the Indian government's National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP). The aim of the study was to assess the treatment outcomes among drug-sensitive pulmonary TB patients receiving daily FDC drugs and the associated factors influencing the treatment outcomes. A prospective study was conducted among 300 drug-sensitive pulmonary TB cases in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) area. The TB units and designated microscopic centers (DMCs) were selected by multistage random sampling. Data were collected through a pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire. Patients were followed up until treatment completion. Data were compiled and analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistics version 20.0. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test were used for interpretation. A -value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Around 86.33% of patients were cured, 4% had completed treatment, and 1% had treatment failure. Older age, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reactive status, alcohol intake, tobacco use, and migrants were associated with poor outcomes. The daily FDC regimen had better outcomes than intermittent regimens. Smokers, alcoholics, migrants, and patients with co-morbidity need to be given priority in management as they are prone to poorer outcomes.