SETTING: To compare renal insufficiency among mul-tidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients treated with kanamycin (KM) based regimens and those treated concomitantly with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or other antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens in Namibia. DESIGN: Retrospective review of the treatment records and laboratory tests of patients initiated on MDR-TB treatment (January–December 2014). The glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) estimated pre- and post-treatment were compared using the analysis of variance test. Renal insufficiency was defined as an eGFR of,60 ml/ min/1.73 m2. Use of KM or TDF and association with renal insufficiency was assessed using Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: The baseline mean eGFR for the three groups was similar (P ¼ 0.24): 139.3 6 25.6 ml/min for the KM group (n ¼ 68), 131.1 6 25.7 ml/min for the KMþTDF group (n ¼ 44) and 134.2634.4 ml/min for the KMþOther group (n ¼ 23). After 8 months, the values had declined significantly to respectively 104.8 6 37.5 ml/min (P, 0.001), 101.5 6 38.3 ml/min (P, 0.001) and 111.5 6 41.7 ml/min (P ¼ 0.01). Co-treatment with KMþART was associated with an increased risk of renal insufficiency (hazard ratio [HR] 1.8, 95%CI 0.7–4.1, P ¼ 0.20 for KMþTDF, and HR 3.5, 95%CI 1.4–8.2, P ¼ 0.005 for KMþOther ART). CONCLUSION: Renal function declined at a similar rate in MDR-TB patients treated with KM-based regimens compared with patients treated concomitantly with TDF-based or other ART. The risk of renal insufficiency was greater for patients on ART
