Beyond pills and tests: addressing the social determinants of tuberculosis

Pre- and post-diagnosis costs of tuberculosis to patients on Directly Observed Treatment Short course in districts of southwestern Ethiopia: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Financial burden on tuberculosis (TB) patients results in delayed treatment and poor compliance. We assessed pre- and post-diagnosis costs to TB patients.

METHODS

A longitudinal study among 735 new TB cases was conducted from January 2015 through June 2016 in 10 woredas (districts) of southwestern Ethiopia. Direct out-of-pocket, payments, and lost income (indirect cost) were solicited from patients during the first 2 months and at the end of treatment. Thus, we ascertained direct medical, nonmedical, and indirect costs incurred by patients during pre- and post-diagnosis periods. We categorized costs incurred from onset of illness until TB diagnosis as pre-diagnosis and that incurred after diagnosis through treatment completion as post-diagnosis. Pre- and post-diagnosis costs constitute total cost incurred by the patients. We fitted linear regression model to identify predictors of cost.

RESULTS

Between onset of illness and anti-TB treatment course, patients incurred a median (inter-quartile range (IQR)) of US$201.48 (136.7-318.94). Of the total cost, the indirect and direct costs respectively constituted 70.6 and 29.4%. TB patients incurred a median (IQR) of US$97.62 (6.43-184.22) and US$93.75 (56.91-141.54) during the pre- and post-diagnosis periods, respectively. Thus, patients incurred 53.6% of the total cost during the pre-diagnosis period. Direct out-of-pocket expenses during the pre- and post-diagnosis periods respectively amount to median (IQR) of US$21.64 (10.23-48.31) and US$35.02 (0-70.04). Patient delay days (p < 0.001), provider delay days (p < 0.001), number of healthcare facilities visited until TB diagnosis (p < 0.001), and TB diagnosis at private facilities (p = 0.02) independently predicted increased pre-diagnosis cost. Similarly, rural residence (p < 0.001), hospitalization during anti-TB treatment (p < 0.001), patient delay days (p < 0.001), and provider delay days (p < 0.001) predicted increased post-diagnosis costs.

CONCLUSION

TB patients incur substantial cost for care seeking and treatment despite "free service" for TB. Therefore, promoting early care seeking, decentralizing efficient diagnosis, and treatment services within reach of peoples, and introducing reimbursement system for direct costs can help minimize financial burden to the patient.

Delays to treatment initiation is associated with tuberculosis treatment outcomes among patients on directly observed treatment short course in Southwest Ethiopia: a follow-up study

Background

Despite reported long delays to initiate anti-TB treatment and poor outcomes in different parts of Ethiopia and elsewhere, evidences on association between the delay and treatment outcomes are scanty.

Methods

A follow up study among 735 new TB cases registered at health facilities in districts of southwest Ethiopia was conducted from January 2015 to June 2016. Patients reported days elapsed between onset of illness and treatment commencement of 30 days cutoff was considered to ascertain exposure. Thus, those elapsed beyond 30 days to initiate anti-TB treatment since onset of illness were exposed and otherwise non-exposed. The cases were followed until earliest outcome was observed. Treatment outcomes was ascertained as per the World Health Organization standard definitions and dichotomized into ‘successful’ when cured or treatment completed and ‘unsuccessful’ when lost to follow-up or died or treatment failure. Bivariate and multiple log-binomial models were fitted to identify predictors of unsuccessful outcomes.

Results

The overall treatment success among the treatment cohort was 89.7% (88.4% vs. 94.2%, p = 0.01 respectively among those initiated treatment beyond and within of 30 days of onset of illness. Higher risk of unsuccessful outcome was predicted by treatment initiation beyond 30 days of onset [Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR) = 1.92, 95%CI:1.30, 2.81], HIV co-infection (ARR = 2.18, 95%CI:1.47, 3.25) and received treatment at hospital (ARR = 3.73, 95%CI:2.23, 6.25). On the other hand, lower risk of unsuccessful outcome was predicted by weight gain (ARR = 0.40, 95%CI:0.19, 0.83) and sputum smear negative conversion (ARR = 0.17,95% CI:0.09, 0.33) at the end of second month treatment.

Conclusion

Higher risk of unsuccessful outcome is associated with prolonged days elapsed between onset of illness and treatment commencement. Hence, promotion of early care seeking, improving diagnostic and case holding efficiencies of health facilities and TB/HIV collaborative interventions can reduce risk of unsuccessful outcome.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12890-018-0628-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Socioeconomic and Behavioral Factors Associated with Tuberculosis Diagnostic Delay in Lima, Peru

Early detection and diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is a global priority. Prolonged symptom duration before TB diagnosis is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and risk of transmission. We aimed to determine socioeconomic and behavioral factors associated with diagnostic delays among patients with TB. Data were collected from 105 patients with TB using a semi-structured interview guide in Lima, Peru. Factors associated with diagnostic delay were analyzed using negative binomial regression. The median delay from when symptoms commenced and the first positive diagnostic sample in public health facilities was 57 days (interquartile range: 28–126). In multivariable analysis, greater diagnostic delay was independently associated with patient older age, female gender, lower personal income before diagnosis, living with fewer people, and having more visits to professional health facilities before diagnosis (all P < 0.05). Patients who first sought care at a private health facility had more visits overall to professional health facilities before diagnosis than those who first sought care from public or insured employee health facilities and had longer diagnostic delay in analysis adjusted for age and gender. Patients with TB were significantly more likely to first self-medicate than to visit professional health facilities before diagnosis (P = 0.003). Thus, diagnostic delay was prolonged, greatest among older, low-income women, and varied according to the type of care sought by individuals when their symptoms commenced. These findings suggest that TB case-finding initiatives should target vulnerable groups in informal and private health facilities, where many patients with TB first seek health care.

Socioeconomic status and biomedical risk factors in migrants and native tuberculosis patients in Italy

Action on social determinants is a main component of the World Health Organization End Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy. The aim of the study was to collect information on socioeconomic characteristics and biomedical risk factors in migrant TB patients in Italy and compare it with data collected among Italian TB patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted among TB patients aged ≥18 years over a 12-months enrolment period in 12 major Italian hospitals. Information on education, employment, housing and income was collected, and European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions index was used to assess material deprivation. Among migrants, we also analyzed factors associated with severe material deprivation. Migrants were compared with younger (18-64 years) and older (65+ years) Italians patients. Out of 755 patients enrolled (with a median age of 42 years, interquartile range: 31-53), 65% were migrants. Pulmonary, microbiologically confirmed, and new cases were 80%, 73%, and 87% respectively. Prevalence of co-morbidities (i.e. diabetes, chronic kidney disease, neoplastic diseases and use of immunosuppressive drugs) was lower among migrants compared to Italian TB patients, while indicators of socioeconomic status, income and housing conditions were worst in migrants. Forty-six percent of migrants were severely deprived vs. 9% of Italians (p<0.0001, 11.3% and 5.5% among younger and older Italians, respectively). Among migrants, being male, older, irregular, unemployed, with a shorter time spent in Italy, a lower education level, and without a co-morbidity diagnosis were factors associated with severe material deprivation at multi-variable logistic regression. Moreover, socioeconomic indicators for Italian patients did not differ from those reported for the general Italian population, while migrant TB patients seem to have a higher prevalence of severe material deprivation than other migrants residing in Italy. Intervention to address the needs of this population are urgent.

Smear grading and the Mantoux skin test can be used to predict sputum smear conversion in patients suffering from tuberculosis

Purpose: Smear scores and induration sizes resulting from the PPD (tuberculin purified protein derivative) test can serve as indicators of whether a patient suffering from tuberculosis shows smear conversion or not.

Methods: Using microbiological methods smear and sputum tests, patients diagnosed as infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis between 2002 and 2015 were included in this study. All of the assumed factors that may have a role in smear conversion were studied, in addition to the prolongation of tuberculosis.

Results: 398 of 512 patients fulfilled all the inclusion criteria and formed the basis of this study. 215 patients (54%) were females and 183 (46%) were males. The median age for both men and women was 36 years. We found a statistically significant difference between the size of induration resulting from the PPD skin test and the rate of non-conversion (P=0.002). Further univariate analysis also showed that smear grading and an induration size of ≥10 mm were independently associated with delayed smear conversion. Patients with cavitary lesions showed a higher rate of non-conversion after two months, which was not significant. We could not find any association between some of the variables, such as age, sex, weight, smoking, alcoholism, addictions, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, alternative anti-TB treatment, and smear conversion.

Conclusion: Intensified treatment and precautions against transmission should be especially considered for TB patients with high smear grading and an induration size of more than 10 mm.