DefinePK

Abstract

Background: The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) occurs when tuberculosis bacteria develop resistance to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), key medications in its treatment regimen. Within communities, the risk of drugresistant strains spreading from infected individuals to others is heightened by frequent and close contact among members.Objective: This study was conducted with the aims to analyze the tuberculous infection among household contacts of MDR-TB patients.Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB Unit (PMDT), Department of Pulmonology, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from January 2021 to January 2022. All such cases which were diagnosed with MDR-TB were enrolled for treatment in this center and were selected as index patients. Their contacts (spouses, children, parents, siblings and other relatives) first screened verbally and then underwent GeneXpert assay. Those found positive MTB only or MTB plus Rif resistance. Data was analyzed using IBM Statistics SPSS version 27.Results: A total of 145 enrolled MDR-TB patients were included in this study. Of these enrolled patients, a total of 1310 household contacts were analyzed for study purpose. Of these 1310 contacts, 52 (35.86%) diagnosed as tuberculosis (TB) only, while 26 (17.93%) declared as MDR-TB. The most frequents symptoms among these household were fever, cough, and chest pain.Conclusion: It is imperative to explore diverse strategies for managing and breaking the chain of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB). Household contacts screening emerges as a pivotal component in this effort.The present research has revealed that 35.86% of individuals were found to be infected solely with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), while 17.93% were identified as having MDR-TB.