Impact of COVID-19 Coinfection on Management of Tuberculosis Patients Registered at DOTS Center in a Tertiary Care Hospital

JOURNAL TITLE: Indian Journal of Respiratory Care

Author
1. Avinash Kumar
2. Ruchi Arora Sachdeva
3. Litika Verma
4. Harshita
5. Amrita Swati
6. Lokesh Parashar
7. Kamran Chaudhary
8. Manas Kamal Sen
ISSN
2277-9019
DOI
10.5005/jp-journals-11010-1000
Volume
12
Issue
1
Publishing Year
2023
Pages
6
  • Article keywords
    Antituberculosis treatment, Coronavirus disease 2019, Directly observed therapy, National tuberculosis elimination program

    Abstract

    Introduction: This study was conducted to determine the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the ensuing lockdown on tuberculosis (TB) management undergoing treatment under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) and vice-versa. Aims: To study (1) the occurrence of COVID-19 and its severity among patients suffering from TB and (2) the impact of a pandemic on TB management under NTEP. Materials and methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in patients registered at Directly observed therapy short-course (DOTS) center from 1st April 2020 to 31st July 2021 at ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India, using a semi-structured predesigned questionnaire administered telephonically. Results: Out of 387 TB patients registered at the DOTS center, 191 participated in the study. The occurrence of COVID-19 in patients with TB was 10 (5.2%), of which five (50%) were symptomatic; four (40%) had pulmonary TB, and six (60%) had extrapulmonary TB. Nine (90%) patients had mild and one (10%) moderately severe disease requiring hospitalization. Amongst 191 patients, 29 (15.2%) missed anti-TB treatment (ATT); 15 (51.7%) could not access the DOTS center due to restrictions, and seven (24.1%) due to personal reasons, eight (27.5%) forgot to take medication, and one (0.34%) migrated elsewhere. Conclusions: The occurrence of COVID-19 in patients with TB was found to be 5.2% in this study. The severity of COVID-19 was mostly mild and the mortality rate in patients with a coinfection of TB and COVID-19 was 10%. The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on TB management under NTEP due to the imposed lockdown. The limitation of this study was the small sample size.

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