[Becoming new pulmonary tuberculosis patients with sputum smear-positive at the end of second month of anti tubercular treatment in Lome].

Aims: To determine the frequency of the new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients at the end of the second month of anti-tuberculosis treatment and to analyze the outcomes of their treatment.

Patients And Method: It was a retrospective comparative study from January 2006 to June 2008, based on the analysis of the records and treatment cards from the diagnosis and treatment centers of Lome. New sputum smear-positive tuberculosis patients at the end of the second month (smear positive 2 months) constituted the study population. A comparison group consisted of the new tuberculosis patients with sputum smear-negative at the end of the second month (negative smear 2 months).

Results: The proportion of sputum smear-positive at 2 months was 5.34% (163/3050). Cure and failure rates were respectively 69.3% and 17.2% for smear-positive 2 months versus 79.1% and 3.7% for control group. The death rate was similar in both groups (3% and 3.7%).

Conclusion: The smear positive 2 month's patients have a high risk of failure and must receive special attention during their follow-up to improve the results of treatment.