High Isoniazid Preventive Therapy Completion Rate among Household Contacts of Tuberculosis Patients in Duhok Province

Main Article Content

Fatima Nawaf Abdulkareem
Muayad Aghali Merza
Ahmed Mohammed Salih
Abdulrahman Islam Rekani

Keywords

Tuberculosis, LTBI, Isoniazid, household contacts

Abstract

Background And Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy is a key intervention to achieve a world free of TB. We assessed the completion rate of isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) among household contacts (HHCs) in Duhok province.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to September 2021 at the National TB Program Center (NTP). HHCs who were positive for the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and/or the Quantiferon TB-Gold Plus Assay (QFTPlus) with active TB cases were included in the study. A standard questionnaire was adopted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The HHCs receiving INH therapy were advised to continue the treatment for 6 months under regular monthly follow-up.
Results: Of a total of 181, 134 (74.04%) were accepted and completed the treatment, whereas 47 (25.96%) declined IP. 41 (22.7%) of the LTBI-positive HHCs were among the 25–34 age group. The IPT completion rate in males (58.2%) was slightly higher when compared to females (42.4%) without a significant difference of p value 0.92 (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.49–1.89). No differences were noticed among smokers, alcoholics, diabetics, or those on immunosuppressive treatment.
Conclusion: There was a high rate of LTBI completion with an excellent drug safety profile among the HHCs in Duhok province. Therefore, it is an essential component of the TB program to offer chemoprophylaxis to LTBI HHCs with regular follow-ups. Furthermore, there were no significant associations between age group, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, DM, and immunosuppressive therapy, with the completion rate of IPT.

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