Outcomes in Adolescents Undergoing Treatment for Drug-resistant Tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa, 2008-2013

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in children in northwest Russia: an observational cohort study

“…Our study showed high rates of successful treatment in adolescents in contrast to other recent studies reporting poor outcomes in this age group [13,14]. Daily DOT administered by medical personnel may well have contributed to this.…”

Treatment Outcomes for Adolescents With Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Lima, Peru

“…12 Unsuccessful outcomes among adolescents in Peru were also considerably less frequent when compared with the two previously described adolescent cohorts in India and South Africa 4,6 …”

Treatment Outcomes of Adolescents With Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Resource-Constrained Settings

“…A study by Moyo et al (1), published in the January issue of the archives of pediatric infectious diseases, described patient outcomes and factors associated with outcomes of adolescents diagnosed with DR-TB between January 2008 and August 2013 in Khayelitsha, South Africa. This study represents one of the most extensive series of adolescents with DR-TB reported in the literature.…”

“…When the Khayelitsha DR-TB program started, the median time from diagnosis to initiation of treatment was 54 days, during which patients died or their clinical situation worsened. During this period, drug susceptibility testing was available only for TB patients at a high risk of DR-TB (1,3). Late in 2011, Xpert MTB/RIF testing was introduced for all individuals with suspected TB.…”

“…The primary reason for poor treatment outcomes for DR-TB is the use of second-line drugs, as those used in the Khayelitsha study (1)(2)(3). These drugs are costly, poorly tolerated, suboptimally effective, and require a prolonged treatment duration (7).…”