Poor treatment outcomes among multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Gomel Region, Republic of Belarus.

Settings: Tuberculosis (TB) health facilities in the Gomel Region, Republic of Belarus-settings with a high burden of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Objective: To determine treatment outcomes among MDR-TB patients diagnosed in 2009-2010 and factors associated with unsuccessful outcomes (death, failure and loss to follow-up).

Design: Retrospective cohort study involving a review of an electronic patient database maintained under the National Tuberculosis Control Programme.