Published in:
01-12-2020 | Isoniazid | Research article
Age-stratified anti-tuberculosis drug resistance profiles in South Korea: a multicenter retrospective study
Authors:
Eung Gu Lee, Jinsoo Min, Ji Young Kang, Sung Kyoung Kim, Jin Woo Kim, Yong Hyun Kim, Hyoung Kyu Yoon, Sang Haak Lee, Hyung Woo Kim, Ju Sang Kim
Published in:
BMC Infectious Diseases
|
Issue 1/2020
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Abstract
Background
The emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is a major healthcare concern worldwide. Here, we analyzed age-related trends in DR-TB rates in South Korea.
Methods
Drug susceptibility test results were collected from patients with culture-confirmed TB between 2015 and 2018 from eight university-affiliated hospitals. Patients were divided into three subgroups: younger (15–34 years), middle (35–59 years), and older (≥60 years) to compare drug-resistance patterns. To evaluate trends in age-stratified drug-resistance, chi-square test for linear trends was performed.
Results
Among enrolled native patients aged ≥15 years, 4.1% (179/4417), 1.2% (53/4417) and 7.2% (316/4417) were multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), rifampicin-mono-resistant TB (RR-TB), and isoniazid-mono-resistant TB (Hr-TB), respectively. Proportions of Hr-TB cases were 5.4% (40/734), 7.2% (114/1593), and 7.8% (162/2090) in the younger, middle and older age groups, respectively. MDR/RR-TB case rates decreased significantly with age from 8.6% (63/734) in younger age group to 3.3% (68/2090) in older age group. Fluoroquinolone resistance was highest among second-line drugs, and there were no differences in resistance to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs among the three age groups.
Conclusions
The number of MDR/RR-TB cases was highest in young patients. Effective public health interventions should include increased focus on rifampicin resistance in young patients.