ObjectiveWeight variation during therapy has been described as a useful marker to predict TB treatment outcome. No previous study has used longitudinal analysis to corroborate this finding. The goal of this study was to evaluate change and trends of patients' bodyweight over time depending on TB treatment outcome.Methods and FindingsA retrospective cohort study with all TB cases diagnosed from 2000 to 2006 was carried out. Information from 5 public tuberculosis treatment facilities at Pampas de San Juan de Miraflores, Lima, Peru was analyzed. Poor outcome was defined as failure or death during TB therapy, and compared to good outcome defined as cured. Longitudinal analysis with a pre-specified marginal model was fitted using Generalized Estimating Equations to compare weight trends for patients with good and poor outcome adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 460 patients (55.4% males, mean age: 31.6 years) were included in the analysis: 42 (9.1%) had a poor outcome (17 failed and 25 died). Weight at baseline was not different comparing outcome groups (p = 0.17). After adjusting for age, gender, type of TB, scheme of treatment, HIV status and sputum variation during follow-up, after the first month of treatment, patients with good outcome gained, on average, almost 1 kg compared to their baseline weight (p<0.001), whereas those with poor outcome lost 1 kg (p = 0.003). Similarly, after 4 months, a patient with good outcome increased 3 kg on average (p<0.001), while those with poor outcome only gained 0.2 kg (p = 0.02).ConclusionsWeight variation during tuberculosis therapy follow-up can predict treatment outcome. Patients losing weight during TB treatment, especially in the first month, should be more closely followed as they are at risk of failure or death.

Objective Contacts of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) cases are at high risk of TB infection and progression to disease. Close and household contacts and those <5 years old have the highest risk. Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) can largely prevent TB disease among infected individuals. International and Peruvian recommendations include TB contact investigation and IPT prescription to eligible contacts. We conducted a study in Lima, Peru, to determine the number of close and household contacts who were evaluated, started on IPT, and who completed it, and the factors associated to compliance with national guidelines. Methods We conducted a longitudinal retrospective study including all TB cases diagnosed between January 2015 and July 2016 in 13 health facilities in south Lima. Treatment cards, TB registers and clinical files were reviewed and data on index cases (sex, age, smear status, TB treatment outcome), contact investigation (sex, age, kinship to the index case, evaluations at month 0, 2 and 6) and health facility (number of TB cases notified per year, proportion of TB cases with treatment success) were extracted. We tabulated frequencies of contact evaluation by contact and index case characteristics. To investigate determinants of IPT initiation and completion, we used generalised linear mixed models. Results A total of 2323 contacts were reported by 662 index cases; the median number of contacts per case was four (IQR, 2–5). Evaluation at month 0 was completed by 99.2% (255/257) of contacts <5 and 98.1% (558/569) of contacts aged 5–19 years. Of 191 eligible contacts <5 years old, 70.2% (134) started IPT and 31.4% (42) completed it. Of 395 contacts 5–19 years old, 36.7% (145) started IPT and 32.4% (47) completed it. Factors associated to not starting IPT among contacts <5 years old were being a second‐degree relative to the index case (OR 6.6 95CI% 2.6–16.5), not having received a tuberculin skin test (TST) (OR 3.9 95%CI 1.4–10.8), being contact of a smear‐negative index case (OR 5.5 95%CI 2.0–15.1) and attending a low‐caseload health facility (OR 2.8 95%CI 1.3–6.2). Factors associated to not starting IPT among 5–19 year‐olds were age (OR 13.7 95%CI 5.9–32.0 for 16‐19 vs. 5–7 years old), being a second‐degree relative (OR 3.0 95%CI 1.6–5.6), not having received a TST (OR 5.4, 95%CI 2.5–11.8), being contact of a male index case (OR 2.1 95CI% 1.2–3.5), with smear‐negative TB (OR 1.9 95%CI 1.0–3.6), and attending a high‐caseload health facility (OR 2.1 95%CI 1.2–3.6). Factors associated to not completing IPT, among contacts who started, were not having received a TST (OR 3.4 95%CI 1.5–7.9 for <5 year‐olds, and OR 4.3 95%CI 1.7–10.8 for those 5–19 years old), being contact of an index case with TB treatment outcome other than success (OR 9.3 95%CI 2.6–33.8 for <5 year‐olds and OR 15.3 95%CI 1.9–125.8 for those 5–19 years old), and, only for those 5–19 years old, attending a health facility with high caseload (OR 3.2 95%CI 1.4–7.7) and a health facility with low proportion of TB cases with treatment succ...

Initial global-level estimates reported in June 2020 by the World Health Organization suggested that levels of disruption to TB service delivery could be as high as 25%-50% and result in an additional 6·3 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) and an additional 1·4 million TB-related deaths attributable to COVID-19 between 2020 and 2025. Quarterly epidemiological estimates and programmatic TB data capturing disruption levels to each TB service were collected by National TB Programmes in Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mozambique, and Peru. Data from 2019, for a pre-COVID-19 baseline, and throughout 2020, together with the NTP’s COVID-19 response plans, were used within Optima TB models to project TB incidence and deaths over five years because of COVID-19-related disruptions, and the extent to which those impacts may be mitigated through proposed catch-up strategies in each country. Countries reported disruptions of up to 64% to demand-driven TB diagnosis. However, TB service availability disruptions were shorter and less severe, with TB treatment experiencing levels of disruption of up to 21%. We predicted that under the worse-case scenario cumulative new latent TB infections, new active TB infections, and TB-related deaths could increase by up to 23%, 11%, and 20%, respectively, by 2024. However, three of the five countries were on track to mitigate these increases to 3% or less by maintaining TB services in 2021 and 2022 and by implementing proposed catch-up strategies. Indonesia was already experiencing the worse-case scenario, which could lead to 270,000 additional active TB infections and 36,000 additional TB-related deaths by the end of 2024. The COVID-19 pandemic is projected to negatively affect progress towards 2035 End TB targets, especially in countries already off-track. Findings highlight both successful TB service delivery adaptions in 2020 and the need to proactively maintain TB service availability despite potential future waves of more transmissible COVID-19 variants.

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We determined the time to start MDR-TB treatment. Time from the first positive smear to MDR-TB treatment was >30 days in 35% (13/37) of patients. Also in 27% (24/88) of patients switched to MDR-TB treatment, time from the last dose of a drug susceptible regimen was > 30 days.