Treatment outcome cohort analysis in an integrated DOTS and DOTS-Plus TB program in Latvia.

International guidelines for treatment outcome analysis of tuberculosis cases have been published and are widely used. They do not, however, fully address the incorporation of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases. Here we present an approach to cohort analysis of treatment outcomes for all registered TB cases, including MDR-TB cases. We analyzed all new pulmonary smear- and/or culture-positive cases registered in Latvia during 2002. Analysis of treatment outcomes at 24 months after initial case registration showed overall treatment success at 84%. This approach to outcome analysis is possible only for settings where MDR-TB treatment is established.