PP4 TREATMENT OUTCOMES OF DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS IN MALAYSIA: A FOUR-YEAR POPULATION STUDY

Patrick Wee Yao Peng¹, Siti Hafsah Abdul Halim², Peter Seah Keng Tok¹

¹Institute for Clinical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam, Malaysia
²Tuberculosis/Leprosy Control Sector, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Introduction
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) poses a major public health challenge globally, as it is difficult and costly to treat. Evaluation of its treatment outcomes and associated factors will help to guide future control measures.

Objectives
To assess treatment outcomes and identify factors associated with treatment success of DR-TB cases in Malaysia.

Methodology
A retrospective study was conducted utilising national DR-TB surveillance data in Malaysia over four years (2020 to 2023). Treatment outcomes were assessed and factors associated with treatment success were analysed using multiple logistic regression.

Results
A total of 1,618 DR-TB cases (867 HR-TB cases, 751 MDR/RR-TB cases) were included in the study. The overall treatment success rate was 66.6%, with a higher rate observed in HR-TB cases compared to MDR/RR-TB cases. Among HR-TB cases, age group <18 years old, females, Malaysians, pulmonary TB cases and HIV-negative cases had higher odds for treatment success. Similar factors were also found to be significant among MDR/RR-TB cases, except for TB location, which was insignificant. In both groups (HR-TB and MDR/RR-TB cases), elderly patients (≥65 years old) had lower odds for treatment success.

Conclusions 
DR-TB remains a significant public health problem in Malaysia with variable treatment success rates influenced by resistance type(s), age groups, gender, nationality, and HIV status. Study findings may help guide targeted interventions to improve treatment outcomes.