Quality of life among drug-resistant tuberculosis patients on treatment in SouthWest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) continues to be a public health concern. Several factors, including the disease itself, affect the quality of life of DR-TB patients. This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QOL) and associated factors of drug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Nigeria.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 165 participants using an interviewer-administered 26-item World Health Organization Quality of life Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) tool. Two questions assessed overall quality of life and general health while twenty-four questions assessed the physical, social, psychological and environmental domains of QOL. Continuous variables were summarized using means, standard deviations while association between categorical variables were analyzed using Chisquare test. Binary logistic regression model assessed the predictors of QOL with statistical significance at p<0.05.

RESULTS

Mean age was 35.63 ± 11.36. The overall quality of life was 3.96±0.82. The environmental domain had the highest mean quality of life (64.9±14.6), while the physical domain had the lowest (59.2±11.2). Marital status, family size, and support from the TB programme were associated with a good QOL.

CONCLUSION

Overall quality of life was good. Continued financial and social support for drug-resistant tuberculosis patients on treatment by the national tuberculosis control programme is recommended.