• Hongjo Choi, Jeongha Mok, Young Ae Kang, Dawoon Jeong, Hee-Yeon Kang, Hee Jin Kim, Hee-Sun Kim, and Doosoo Jeon.
• Division of Health Policy and Management, Korea University College of Health Science, Seoul, Korea.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2025 Jan 1; 66 (1): 162416-24.

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the prognosis of the not evaluated (NE) group by comparing it with the lost to follow-up (LTFU) group among patients with multidrug/rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB).Materials And MethodsThis was a retrospective longitudinal follow-up study using an integrated database constructed by data linkage of the three national databases. This database included 7226 cases of MDR/RR-TB notified between 2011 and 2017 in South Korea.ResultsAmong the 7226 MDR/RR-TB cases, 730 (10.1%) were classified as LTFU group, and 353 (4.9%) as NE group. When comparing NE group with LTFU group, there were no significant differences in the all-cause mortality rate (18.1% vs. 13.8%, p=0.065), median time to death [404 days (interquartile range, IQR 46-850) vs. 443 days (IQR 185-1157), p=0.140], and retreatment rate (26.9% vs. 22.2%, p=0.090). After adjusting for potential confounders, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for all-cause mortality (aHR 1.11; 95% confidence interval 0.80-1.53; p=0.531) in NE group was not significantly different than that in LTFU group. Among retreated cases, NE group had a higher treatment success rate (57.9% vs 43.8%, p=0.029) and a lower LTFU rate (11.6% vs 38.3%, p<0.001) compared to LTFU group.ConclusionNE group had an unfavorable outcome comparable to LTFU group, suggesting undetected cases of LTFU or deaths during the referral process. Establishing an efficient patient referral system would contribute to reducing the incidence of NE cases.© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2025.

25 keywords...

hide…