Background Tuberculosis affects patients' health-related quality of life because of its symptoms, prolonged duration of treatment and associated stigma. By identifying patients at greater risk of poor quality of life, interventional measures could be implemented to improve the health-related quality of life, medication adherence rates and treatment success for holistic patient care. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the quality of life of tuberculosis patients at baseline and its changes with treatment and to investigate the relationship between the quality of life and socio-demographic and clinical variables. Methods A prospective cohort study of newly diagnosed active tuberculosis patients was conducted between January 2021 and June 2022. The short-form 12 version 2 (SF12v2) questionnaire was administered at baseline, and follow-up was done at the end of the intensive phase and end of treatment to assess participants' health-related quality of life at each stage of treatment. Higher physical and mental component summary scores indicate better quality of life. To identify independent relationships with quality of life, a logistic regression model was performed. Results At the start of treatment, 78.8% of participants had a physical impairment, while 25.7% were at risk of depression. Even though the quality of life improved with treatment, 59.5% of participants still had a physical impairment, and 15.5% were depressed at the end of treatment. Alcohol use (p = 0.03) and HIV infection (p = 0.021) reduced mental health at baseline. Predictors of physical impairment at the end of therapy include age > 45 years (p = 0.044), female gender (p = 0.01), unemployment (p = 0.009), pulmonary TB (p = 0.001) and starting HIV treatment before TB (p = 0.002). There was a clinically significant improvement in the physical component summary score (3.3) but not in mental health (1.7). Conclusion Tuberculosis significantly affects patients’ quality of life even after completing treatment. Identifying patients who are at greater risk and instituting preventive measures could improve their quality of life for holistic care.

Background The success of tuberculosis treatment relies on patients adhering to their medication regimen consistently. However, adherence levels tend to decrease among patients who experience adverse drug reactions to antitubercular medications, leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes. Hence, this study aimed to examine the types, incidence rates, and severity of adverse reactions caused by first-line antitubercular drugs. Additionally, it aimed to identify factors associated with the development of these reactions. By doing so, the study aimed to facilitate the provision of personalized and effective treatment to patients, ultimately improving treatment outcomes. Methods Newly diagnosed patients with active tuberculosis were monitored from the start of their treatment until the completion of therapy. Any adverse reactions to anti-TB drugs that they encountered were carefully recorded. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods such as analysis of variance, Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, and independent t-tests. Logistic regression was employed to assess the association between adverse drug reactions and various socio-demographic and clinical factors of the patients, using odds ratios as a measure of association. Results Among the 378 patients included in the study, 181 individuals (47.9%) reported experiencing at least one adverse drug reaction, with an incidence rate of 1.75 events per 100-person months. The majority of these reactions occurred during the intensive phase of treatment. The gastrointestinal tract was the most commonly affected system, followed by the nervous system and skin. Patients aged over 45 years (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.01–2.39, p = 0.046) and those with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (OR = 2.41, 95% CI 1.03–5.64) were more likely to develop gastrointestinal reactions. Female gender was a significant predictor of both skin (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.05–3.02, p = 0.032) and nervous system (OR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.07–2.55, p = 0.024) reactions. Additionally, alcohol use and HIV infection were identified as independent predictors of adverse drug reactions affecting all three systems. Conclusion Significant risk factors for developing antitubercular drug adverse reactions include alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, being HIV positive, female gender and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.