Determinants of death among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis receiving treatment in Tanzania: A retrospective cohort study 2017-21Database

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) is a severe clinical condition that continues to be a public health threat worldwide. The emergence of MDR-TB has undermined the efforts to control TB. In this database, we analysed to get information on the factors associated with death among patients with MDR-TB enrolled and initiated treatment. This was retrospective cohort data involving 660 patients with MDR-TB who received treatment from 445 health facilities in Tanzania. From this database, we determined the factors associated with mortality. The database contains 660 patients, of whom 223 (33.79%) were female, 437 (66.21%) were male, and 139 (21.06%) patients died. Factors that remained significant determinants of death were positivity for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus [(z = 3.26; <em>p</em> = 0.001), hospital level (z = 2.30; <em>p</em> = 0.021)], and the use of the standard short-course regimen (S-SCR) (z = −4.19; <em>p</em> = 0.001). From this database, we found that Older age, positivity for HIV serostatus, and hospital level were associated with an increased risk of death. We recommend that the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, along with the Ministry of Health, strengthen the management of patients at a decentralised level. Furthermore, we recommend using the S-SCR with high precaution while investigating its efficacy.