Volume 27, Number 3—March 2021
Synopsis
Decentralized Care for Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis, Western Cape, South Africa
, Karen R. Jacobson, Elizabeth J. Ragan, Jacob Bor, Jennifer Hughes, Tara C. Bouton, Tania Dolby, Robin M. Warren, and Helen E. Jenkins
Table 1
Characteristics of patients with RR TB, Western Cape, South Africa, 2012–2014*
| Characteristic† | Overall, n = 2,878 | Cape Town, n = 1,878 | Outside Cape Town n = 1,000 | p value‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex§ | 0.32 | |||
| F | 1,245 (43.4) | 825 (44.1) | 420 (42.0) | |
| M |
1,626 (56.6) |
1,047 (55.9) |
579 (58.0) |
|
| Age group, y¶ | <0.01 | |||
| 15–34 | 1,420 (50.1) | 978 (53.0) | 442 (44.9) | |
| 35–54 | 1,232 (43.5) | 761 (41.2) | 471 (47.8) | |
| >55 |
180 (6.4) |
108 (5.8) |
72 (7.3) |
|
| Type of TB | 0.72 | |||
| Pulmonary only | 2,685 (93.3) | 1,747 (93.0) | 938 (93.8) | |
| Extrapulmonary only | 70 (2.4) | 47 (2.5) | 23 (2.3) | |
| Both |
123 (4.3) |
84 (4.5) |
39 (3.9) |
|
| Results of closest smear within 30 d of first RR TB–positive sample | 0.93 | |||
| Negative | 1,396 (48.5) | 913 (48.6) | 483 (48.3) | |
| Scanty positive | 310 (10.8) | 202 (10.8) | 108 (10.8) | |
| Positive + | 262 (9.1) | 178 (9.5) | 84 (8.4) | |
| Positive ++ | 181 (6.3) | 118 (6.3) | 63 (6.3) | |
| Positive +++ | 499 (17.3) | 321 (17.1) | 178 (17.8) | |
| Unknown |
230 (8.0) |
146 (7.8) |
84 (8.4) |
|
| Setting of first RR TB–positive result | <0.01 | |||
| TB hospital | 103 (3.6) | 43 (2.3) | 60 (6.0) | |
| Clinic | 2,361 (82.0) | 1,554 (82.7) | 807 (80.7) | |
| Non-TB hospital |
414 (14.4) |
281 (15.0) |
133 (13.3) |
|
| Median time in care** in first year after RR TB diagnosis, mos (IQR) | 11 (5–12) | 11 (5–12) | 11 (6–12) | <0.01# |
| Median number of visits†† in the first year after RR TB diagnosis, (IQR) | 9 (5–12) | 8 (4–12) | 10 (5–12) | <0.01# |
*Patients without second-line drug resistance who attended >2 visits. RR, rifampin-resistant; TB, tuberculosis. †Data are no. (%), except where otherwise indicated. ‡p values determined by χ2 test of patients in Cape Town versus outside Cape Town. §A total of 7 patients were missing data on sex: 6 from Cape Town and 1 from outside of Cape Town. ¶A total of 46 patients were missing data on age: 31 from Cape Town and 15 from outside of Cape Town. #p values determined by Wilcoxon rank-sum test of patients in Cape Town versus outside Cape Town. **Time in care is defined as the time between the first and most recent RR TB–positive sample or 1 y from the first RR TB–positive sample, whichever was earlier. ††Defined as unique days in which a patient submitted >1 sample.