Abstract
BACKGROUND: Long-term regimens are widely used for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in North-West China; however, risk factors associated with the treatment outcomes are not well known. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of MDR-TB patients treated with longer regimen in Xi'an from 2017 to 2019. Risk factors associated with the treatment outcome were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 446 patients with MDR-TB included, 215 were cured, 84 completed treatment, 23 failed treatment, 108 were lost to follow-up, and 16 died. Unfavorable outcome risk factors were age >40 years (OR = 3.25, 95% CI = 2.12-4.98), male sex (OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.52-4.22), and re-treated tuberculosis (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.11-2.61), whereas poor treatment outcome risk factors were age >40 years (OR = 5.51, 95% CI = 2.52-12.07), fluoroquinolones not used in the regimen (OR = 3.31, 95% CI = 1.45-7.51), and smear-positive (OR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.47-10.8). CONCLUSION: In Xi'an, MDR-TB treatments with long-term regimens had low success rates, and age, sex, and tuberculosis treatment history were risk factors of MDR-TB treatment outcomes.