Investigators: Kefyalew Alene
External collaborators: Dr Kinley Wangdi, Dr Samantha Colquhoun, Luis Furuya-Kanamori (Australian National University), Kudakwashe Chani (GFK Global Consulting), Justin Clark (Bond University), Anthony Byrne (The University of New South Wales)
Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant cause of disability worldwide. These disabilities may result from the disease process itself or as a result of adverse events related to TB treatment. In recent years, the post-TB disabilities have received increased recognition, partly attributable to renewed interest in and recognition of the sequelae of TB, the possible effect that this may have on post treatment mortality and the implications of treatment of multi-drug resistant TB with medicines that have the potential to cause serious adverse events.
The aim of this study was to describe the types of post-TB disabilities and stratify these disabilities by WHO regions to devise strategies to avert and manage these disabilities. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis and mapped the proportions of four main disabilities including hearing, mental function, neurological and respiratory function impairment by WHO regions.