Assessing Tuberculosis Case Fatality Ratio: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Recently, the tuberculosis (TB) Task Force Impact Measurement acknowledged the need to review the assumptions underlying the TB mortality estimates published annually by the World Health Organization (WHO). TB mortality is indirectly measured by multiplying estimated TB incidence with estimated case fatality ratio (CFR). We conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the TB case fatality ratio in TB patients having initiated TB treatment. Methods: We searched for eligible studies in the PubMed and Embase databases through March 4(th) 2011 and by reference listing of relevant review articles. Main analyses included the estimation of the pooled percentages of: a) TB patients dying due to TB after having initiated TB treatment and b) TB patients dying during TB treatment. Pooled percentages were estimated using random effects regression models on the combined patient population from all studies. Main Results: We identified 69 relevant studies of which 22 provided data on mortality due to TB and 59 provided data on mortality during TB treatment. Among HIV infected persons the pooled percentage of TB patients dying due to TB was 9.2% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.7%-14.7%) and among HIV uninfected persons 3.0% (95% CI: 21.2%-7.4%) based on the results of eight and three studies respectively providing data for this analyses. The pooled percentage of TB patients dying during TB treatment was 18.8% (95% CI: 14.8%-22.8%) among HIV infected patients and 3.5% (95% CI: 2.0%-4.92%) among HIV uninfected patients based on the results of 27 and 19 studies respectively. Conclusion: The results of the literature review are useful in generating prior distributions of CFR in countries with vital registration systems and have contributed towards revised estimates of TB mortality This literature review did not provide us with all data needed for a valid estimation of TB CFR in TB patients initiating TB treatmen

Will adoption of the 2010 WHO ART guidelines for HIV-infected TB patients increase the demand for ART services in India?

BACKGROUND: In 2010, WHO expanded previously-recommended indications for anti-retroviral treatment to include all HIV-infected TB patients irrespective of CD4 count. India, however, still limits ART to those TB patients with CD4 counts <350/mm(3) or with extrapulmonary TB manifestations. We sought to evaluate the additional number of patients that would be initiated on ART if India adopted the current 2010 WHO ART guidelines for HIV-infected TB patients. METHODS: We evaluated all TB patients recorded in treatment registers of the Revised National TB Control Programme in June 2010 in the high-HIV prevalence state of Karnataka, and cross-matched HIV-infected TB patients with ART programme records. RESULTS: Of 6182 TB patients registered, HIV status was ascertained for 5761(93%) and 710(12%) were HIV-infected. 146(21%) HIV-infected TB patients were on ART prior to TB diagnosis. Of the remaining 564, 497(88%) were assessed for ART eligibility; of these, 436(88%) were eligible for ART according to 2006 WHO ART guidelines. Altogether, 487(69%) HIV-infected TB patients received ART during TB treatment. About 80% started ART within 8 weeks of TB treatment and 95% received an efavirenz based regimen. CONCLUSION: In Karnataka, India, about nine out of ten HIV-infected TB patients were eligible for ART according to 2006 WHO ART guidelines. The efficiency of HIV case finding, ART evaluation, and ART initiation was relatively high, with 78% of eligible HIV-infected patients actually initiated on ART, and 80% within 8 weeks of diagnosis. ART could be extended to all HIV-infected TB patients irrespective of CD4 count with relatively little additional burden on the national ART programme

Desfecho do tratamento e confirmação laboratorial do diagnóstico de tuberculose em pacientes com HIV/AIDS no Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil Treatment outcome and laboratory confirmation of tuberculosis diagnosis in patients with HIV/AIDS in Recife, Brazil

OBJETIVO: Comparar a freqüência de desfecho desfavorável (óbito, abandono e falência de tratamento) entre pacientes com co-infecção tuberculose (TB)/HIV submetidos a tratamento para TB com confirmação etiológica do diagnóstico e pacientes co-infectados com TB/HIV e tratados sem confirmação diagnóstica. MÉTODOS: Coorte retrospectivo de pacientes co-infectados com TB/HIV que iniciaram tratamento para TB entre julho de 2002 e junho de 2004, em um serviço de referência para HIV/AIDS no Recife (PE) Brasil. A exposição principal, confirmação laboratorial da TB, foi ajustada pelas variáveis de três blocos: variáveis sócio-demográficas; variáveis relacionadas ao HIV/AIDS; e variáveis relacionadas à TB. Para avaliar a significância estatística dos resultados, utilizaram-se o intervalo de confiança de 95% das odds ratios e o valor de p (teste de qui-quadrado e razão de verossimilhança). RESULTADOS: Foram estudados 262 pacientes. Não se observou associação entre confirmação laboratorial do diagnóstico de TB e desfecho desfavorável, mesmo após o ajuste pelos fatores de confusão. Permaneceram no modelo final da regressão logística múltipla: coexistência de outras doenças oportunistas; contagem de linfócitos CD4 abaixo de 50 células/mm³; carga viral entre 10.000 e 100.000 cópias/mL; dispnéia; forma disseminada de TB; e mudança do tratamento da TB por reação adversa ou intolerância. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados sugerem que o tratamento para TB sem confirmação etiológica, em pacientes co-infectados, baseado na decisão de profissionais experientes em serviços de referência, não aumentou o risco de desfecho desfavorável do tratamento para TB. Além disso, identificaram-se grupos com maior risco de desfecho desfavorável, os quais devem ser cuidadosamente monitorados.<br>OBJECTIVE: To compare the frequency of unfavorable outcome (death or default and treatment failure) between tuberculosis (TB)/HIV co-infected patients treated for TB after laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis and TB/HIV co-infected patients who were so treated without diagnostic confirmation. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of TB/HIV co-infected patients who started TB treatment between July of 2002 and June of 2004 at an HIV/AIDS referral center in Recife, Brazil. The main exposure variable, laboratory confirmation of TB, was adjusted for three different sets of variables: sociodemographic variables; HIV/AIDS-related variables; and TB-related variables. In order to evaluate the statistical significance of the results, we calculated odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals, and p values (from chi-square tests and likelihood ratio tests). RESULTS: A total of 262 patients were studied. No association was found between laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis of TB at treatment outset and unfavorable outcome, even after adjustment for confounders. In the final multiple logistic regression model, the following variables remained: the presence of other opportunistic diseases; CD4 lymphocyte count below 50 cells/mm³; viral load between 10,000 and 100,000 copies/mL; dyspnea; the disseminated form of TB; and change in the TB treatment regimen due to adverse reactions or intolerance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that TB treatment in TB/HIV co-infected patients without etiologic confirmation of TB, at the discretion of experienced physicians in referral centers, did not increase the risk of unfavorable outcomes. In addition, it allowed the identification of groups that should be closely monitored due to a greater risk of unfavorable outcomes

The "Sete Fontes" groundwater system (Braga, NW Portugal): historical milestones and urban assessment

Water resource assessment is essential to bring about sustainable growth of urban development and overall economic progress. Climate change and population growth pressure are important drivers in the available water resources. The crucial point of water management should be to promote an integrated water management in a river catchment and associated groundwater systems. The ancient drinking water system from Sete Fontes (Braga, northern Portugal) was built in the middle-eighteen century, and was the main water supply system of the city until 1913. This water system is located in a valley, with a NE-SW trend, promoting a favourable gentle slope to water gravity transport into the city. The Sete Fontes aquifer is characterized by Silurian metasediments intruded by Variscan granites, with two main fracturation trends - ENE-WSW and NW-SE. The mainly hydrogeochemistry is Na-Cl facies and locally Na-HCO3 facies. The groundwater is poorly mineralized, suggesting meteoric water contribution, with a relatively shallow circuit. During the Roman period, Sete Fontes system was probably the main source of water for the city. The economic, and demographic expansion of Braga lead to the increasing use of other water resources. Presently, the city primary delivery system is only supplied surface water from Cávado catchment. Natural groundwater characteristics from Sete Fontes shows that it is still suitable for human consumption and also to non-potable uses. The assessment also suggests that this is a sustainable water resource, that can constitute an important backup solution in case of failure of the main delivery system due to scarcity or catastrophe.This work is co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, based on COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional da Competitividade e Internacionalização), project ICT (UID/GEO/04683/2013) with reference POCI01-0145-FEDER-007690 and national funds provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio