Infect Chemother.  2016 Dec;48(4):317-323. 10.3947/ic.2016.48.4.317.

Association between Body Mass Index and Sputum Culture Conversion among South Korean Patients with Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis in a Tuberculosis Referral Hospital

• Park HO
• Kim SH
• Moon SH
• Byun JH
• Kim JW
• Lee CE
• Kim JD
• Jang IS
• Yang JH

• KMID: 2441326
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2016.48.4.317

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an important global health problem. Furthermore, the time to identify a positive sputum culture is an important risk factor for the spread of tuberculosis, and several factors can predict a prolonged time to culture conversion. Moreover, the relationship between poor nutritional status and infectious disease is clearly established. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and sputum culture conversion within 3 months among patients with MDR-TB.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 218 patients with MDR-TB who were treated at a large tuberculosis referral hospital in South Korea between January 2005 and December 2010. The outcome of interest was defined as sputum culture conversion within 3 months, and we analyzed the association between BMI and this outcome.
RESULTS
Among the 218 patients, 53 patients (24.3%) had a low BMI (<18.5 kg/m²). In the multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis, failure to achieve sputum culture conversion within 3 months was independently associated with having a low BMI (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.741, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.006-3.013; P = 0.047) and a positive sputum smear at the initiation of therapy (HR: 8.440, 95% CI: 1.146-62.138, P = 0.036).
CONCLUSION
Low BMI (<18.5 kg/m²) was an independent risk factor for failure to achieve sputum culture conversion within 3 months among patients with MDR-TB.

Keyword

Tuberculosis; Multidrug-resistant; Nutritional status; Risk factors; Sputum

MeSH Terms

Body Mass Index*
Communicable Diseases
Global Health
Humans
Korea
Nutritional Status
Referral and Consultation*
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sputum*
Tuberculosis*
Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Time to initial sputum culture conversion according to body mass index. The time to conversion among patients with a body mass index of <18.5 kg/m2 was significantly longer, compared to the group with a normal body mass index. BMI, body mass index

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