Re-treatment rate of pulmonary tuberculosis and related factors in Jurong, Jiangsu

Objective To explore the risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) re-treatment and provide evidence for the reduction of re-treatment rate of pulmonary TB. Methods Retrospective epidemiological analysis was conducted on the treatment information of the pulmonary TB patients in Jurong from January 2005 to December 2015. The re-treatment rate was calculated, the distributions of the re-treated patients were analyzed, and the related risk factors were identified with multivariate logistic regression model. Results From 2005 to 2015,the re-treatment rate of pulmonary TB was 14.5% in Jurong. Regression analysis showed that the age of the patients (OR=1.015), the treatment delay (OR=1.004), patient sources (OR=2.801) and diagnosis results (OR=1.580) were the risk factors related to the re-treatment of pulmonary TB. Conclusion Old age, long delay of treatment, seeking medical care when symptom occurred and smear positivity increased the risk for re-treatment of pulmonary TB. It is necessary to strengthen the health education about TB treatment in risk population to reduce the risk of reoccurrence of TB.