DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i09.051

Pages: 3391-3399

Tuberculosis still remains one of the major public health problems in the world. There is currently limited data available from developing countries like India on the time required for sputum smear conversion in patients who take uninterrupted DOTS. The present study was undertaken to determine the time to smear conversion in Category I DOTS patients receiving uninterrupted therapy and to determine factors that are associated with smear conversion. The NSP TB cases, which were to start their Category I treatment regimen at District Tuberculosis Centre, DOTS Centre, were recruited and an informed written consent was taken. After enrolment, various parameters were studied (recorded) on a predesigned, pre-tested, semi-structured schedule. After recording results of pre-treatment sputum specimen, recruited subjects were followed at weekly interval. Two sputum specimens were collected on each weekly follow-up. On weekly visit, the subjects were instructed to get the early morning sputum sample and a spot sputum sample was taken at the time of visit. Both the samples were examined thereafter. Weekly follow-up were continued for a maximum of 20 weeks of treatment or until the case becomes sputum smear negative, whichever was earlier. A total of 101 subjects were recruited in the study but 6 subjects could not be followed up for till their smear conversion. The median duration of smear conversion was found to be 4 weeks i.e. 28 days. Cavitatory and bilateral lesions on CXR, consumption of tobacco, pretreatment bacterial load and BMI were independent factors associated with smear conversion.