Assessing the Role of Comorbidities Associated with Tuberculosis in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis remains a public health problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the comorbidities associated with this disease in the city of Ouagadougou. Methodology: This was a retrospective cohort study with a descriptive and analytical purpose, conducted on drug-susceptible tuberculosis patients followed in four tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment centers. Results: A total of 408 cases of drug-susceptible tuberculosis of all forms were included in our study. The mean age of the patients was 39.41 + -15.84 years, with a range of 15 to 80 years, and more than half were from the informal sector (61.76%). There were 86.27% new cases and 13.73% previously treated patients. Smoking and alcoholism were found in the population studied. A prevalence of 68.62% of patients had at least one comorbidity, the most common of which were malnutrition, hypertension and TB/HIV coinfection. Treatment failure was more common among patients without comorbidities (8.57% vs. 12.5%, p=0.112), and there were also more lost to follow-up (5.17% vs. 0%, p=0.01) in this group. Conclusion: Comorbidities are factors that influence the effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment. In our study, 68.62% of patients had at least one comorbidity. The most common comorbidities were malnutrition, high blood pressure, and TB/HIV co-infection.