Prevalence of resistance to antituberculosis drugs in Riyadh and a review of previous reports.

Background: Resistance to antituberculosis drugs is an important cause of treatment failure. We evaluated the prevalence and pattern of antituberculosis drug resistance in the central region of Saudi Arabia, and reviewed previous reports from Saudi Arabia.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively examined the records of sputum smear and culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients admitted consecutively from 1998 through 1999 in a main referral hospital in Riyadh, and analyzed drug sensitivity reports.

Does diabetes alter the radiological presentation of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine whether diabetes mellitus (DM) alters the radiological manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB).

Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records and skiagrams of 692 consecutive smear positive pulmonary TB patients admitted in the Sahary Chest Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from January 1998 to December 1999, was performed. One hundred and eighty-seven (27%) patients had an associated DM.

Factors predicting persistent sputum smear positivity among pulmonary tuberculosis patients 2 months after treatment.

Setting: Studies have shown that adverse outcomes are more likely in patients showing persistent sputum positivity at the end of 2 months of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Objective: To identify simple clinical, microbiological or radiological factors associated with persistent sputum positivity under national programme conditions.

Design: Sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients admitted in 2 consecutive years to a referral hospital, and who received standard short-course chemotherapy under direct observation, were reviewed retrospectively.

Influence of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance on the treatment outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis patients receiving DOTS in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: To determine the influence of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance existing prior to treatment on the outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis patients receiving standard short-course chemotherapy (SCC) under direct observation under national programme guidelines.

Design: Treatment outcomes of sputum smear- and culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients admitted consecutively from 1998 through 1999 in a referral hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were reviewed retrospectively.

Results: A total of 515 patients were reviewed; 139 patients were deported or transferred out.