Proportions and determinants of successful tuberculosis treatment among tuberculosis patients with comorbidity registered in National Tuberculosis Registry in Negeri Sembilan from year 2018-2023.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major global health challenges and concerns. Despite the availability of effective treatment in Malaysia, it remained a consistently high notification rate of TB cases. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of successful TB treatment outcomes and its determinants among TB with comorbidities patients in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study among TB with Comorbidities cases in Negeri Sembilan using multiple secondary surveillance databases: National Tuberculosis Registry (NTBR), National Aids Registry (NAR) and National Diabetic Registry (NDR). The data review was from April 2024 until June 2024. All registered TB cases with comorbidities in Negeri Sembilan from the year 2018 to 2023 were analysed to determine the determinants of successful TB treatment among TB with comorbidities patients.

Results: Out of 712 TB cases with comorbidities, 541 (76.0%) achieved a successful TB treatment outcome, and 171 (24.0%) did not. The successful TB treatment among TB with comorbidities showed predominantly among male (72.5%), Malay ethnicity (65.4%), secondary education level (60.3%), and unemployed working status (70.1%). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was the most common comorbidity (70.4%), followed by hypertension (44.8%), dyslipidaemia (36.0%), HIV (19.5%), and viral hepatitis (18.1%). Factors significantly associated with successful TB treatment were those who had a secondary education level (AOR: 2.222; 95% CI: 1.129, 4.374) and a tertiary education level (AOR: 4.474; 95% CI: 1.428- 14.01), were diagnosed with TB in the government hospital (AOR: 0.053; 95% CI: 0.008-0.376), and were not done Acid- Fast Bacillus sputum in the intensive phase of treatment (AOR: 0.191; 95% CI: 0.046, 0.785), cases followed the Directly Observed Therapy at the intensive phase (AOR: 9.045; 95% CI: 4.604, 17.770), and the treatment duration was more than 6 months (AOR: 6.511; 95% CI: 3.383, 12.532).

Conclusion: The successful treatment outcome for TB with comorbidities still falls short of the target and, if not treated well, could potentially lead to prolonged disease transmission, higher mortality rates, and increased healthcare costs. Identifying the proportion of successful treatment rates and their determinants provides insight into the disease burden and helps the public health sector and medical professionals assess and take appropriate action to improve local integration and collaborative service approaches for TB patients with concurrent comorbidities.