A study published in Scientific Reports examined the impact of comorbidities on treatment outcomes for multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis.
Researchers searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Registrar and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to find eligible studies. They performed a meta-analysis to generate a pooled relative risk for unsuccessful outcome in multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB treatment by comorbidity. Of 2,457 studies identified, 48 studied with 18,257 participants were included in the final analysis.
The study shows pooled relative risk of an unsuccessful outcome was higher among people infected with HIV and those with alcohol misuse issues. However, outcomes were similar in people with diabetes or smokers.
"Further research is required to understand the role of comorbidities in driving unsuccessful treatment outcomes," study authors noted.