Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease · 23 authors, 20 centres
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This observational cohort study of 603 TB patients in China found that symptoms, comorbidities, and disability were less common at the end of TB treatment compared to the start, and that referral mechanisms for further care worked well except for mental health disorders and disability.
This observational cohort study assessed 603 patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis across 11 routine health facilities in China. Assessments of symptoms, comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension), risk determinants (smoking, alcohol), and disability (via 6-minute walk test) were conducted at the start and end of TB treatment. At treatment start, 84% were symptomatic, 14% had diabetes, and 45% had an abnormal 6MWT. At the end of six months, among the 586 who completed treatment, 18% remained symptomatic, 5% had hypertension, and 25% had an abnormal 6MWT. Referral mechanisms were functional for most conditions but not for mental health disorders or pulmonary rehabilitation. The study demonstrates the feasibility of integrated care under routine program conditions. Limitations include potential underestimation of mental health disorders due to non-systematic screening, and a sample that may not represent the most severely ill patients, as those judged terminally ill were excluded.
