7.2 History of prior anti-TB treatment

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    Patients who have interrupted or failed a previous anti-TB treatment have a higher risk of developing drug-resistance (DR). Therefore, it is important to question patients about their previous treatment prior to treatment initiation.

     

    Case registration distinguishes between [1] Citation 1. World Health Organization. Implementing the WHO STOP TB strategy: A handbook for national tubercuslosis control programmes. World Health Organization, Geneva. (WHO/HTM/TB/2008.401. 2008).
    http://www.who.int/tb/strategy/en/
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    • New patients: patients who have never been treated for TB or have taken anti-TB drugs for less than 1 month.

     

    • Previously treated patients: patients who have received 1 month or more of anti-TB drugs in the past.
      Previously treated patients are further sub-classified into relapse, failure and return after treatment interruption:
      • Relapse: patients who were cured or completed treatment on their last TB treatment;
      • Failure: patients who have failed their most recent treatment (see Chapter 17 for outcome definitions for failure);
      • Treatment interruption: patients who interrupted (see Chapter 17 for outcome definition of treatment interruption) their last treatment should be classified as “Return after treatment interruption”.

     

    • Others: patients who cannot be included in one of the above categories (e.g. patients who have previously been treated via an erratic or unknown TB regimen).

     

    References
    • 1.World Health Organization. Implementing the WHO STOP TB strategy: A handbook for national tubercuslosis control programmes. World Health Organization, Geneva. (WHO/HTM/TB/2008.401. 2008).
      http://www.who.int/tb/strategy/en/