# Treatment Outcomes of Tuberculosis and Associated Factors Among Tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-infected Patients in Public Health Facilities in Jigjiga, Somali Region, Ethiopia

## TL;DR

This study examines TB treatment success among HIV-positive patients in Ethiopia, finding that 89.8% had successful outcomes, with factors like sex and preventive therapy playing a role.

## Contribution

The study identifies key predictors of successful TB treatment outcomes in TB/HIV co-infected patients in a low-income region.

## Key findings

- 89.8% of TB/HIV co-infected patients had successful treatment outcomes.
- Cotrimoxazole preventive therapy initiation significantly predicted successful TB treatment outcomes.
- Sex and socioeconomic status were significant factors associated with treatment success.

## Abstract

Background: Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) is a serious public health issue, especially in low-income countries, including Ethiopia. For those who are HIV-positive, TB poses a major risk to their health. The development of chemotherapy and the effectiveness of treatment have resulted in notable increases in patient survival. The evaluation of TB treatment outcomes is an essential metric for determining the success of TB and HIV co-morbidity control strategies.

Purpose: This study aims to identify TB treatment outcomes and associated factors among TB/HIV co-infected patients in public health facilities in Jigjiga, Somali Region, Ethiopia, in 2021.

Patients and methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was done on three facilities (Karamara, Hasan Yabare Referral Hospital, and Jigjiga Health Center) with a total of 194 study participants. Data were extracted using a checklist, entered into EpiData version 3 (The EpiData Association, Odense, Denmark), and analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 20 (IBM Corp. Released 2011. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) for descriptive and inferential analysis of the study objectives. Variables in the bivariate logistic regression analysis with p-values less than 0.25 were entered into a multivariate logistic regression to identify the independent factors of TB treatment outcome. Associations were computed using an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% CI. P-values less than 0.05 were finally considered statistically significant.

Results: The following TB treatment outcomes were observed among all TB/HIV co-infected patients enrolled in this study: 126 (67.4%) completed treatment, three (1.8%) died, 42 (22.5%) were cured, and 16 (8.6%) were transferred out; 168 (89.8%) had a successful treatment outcome.

Category of the patient (AOR = 0.194, 95% CI: 0.041, 0.923), sex of the patient (AOR = 1.490, 95% CI: 1.449, 4.951), and cotrimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT) initiation (AOR = 0.073, 95% CI: 0.021, 0.254) were found to be significant predictors for successful TB treatment outcome at a p-value less than 0.05 with a 95% CI.

Conclusion: Overall, 89.8% of TB treatments were successful among TB/HIV co-infected patients. This study has found sex, socioeconomic status, and CPT initiation were significant factors for a successful TB treatment outcome. Based on these findings, governmental and non-governmental organizations should facilitate the implementation and enforce the availability of all TB/HIV co-infected patients.