Author(s)

Blesson Samue^1*, Tyson Volkmann², Sushma Cornelius¹, Sugata Mukhopadhay¹,   MejoJose¹, Kaushik Mitra³, Ajay M. V. Kumar⁴, John E. Oeltmann², Sidhajyoti Parija⁵, Aslesh Ottapura Prabhakaran⁶, Patrick K. Moonan², Vineet K. Chadha⁷

¹World Vision India, New Delhi, India.
²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA.
³Burdwan Medical College, West Bengal, India.
⁴International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, South-East Asia Regional Office, New Delhi, India.
⁵Southern Health Improvement Samity, West Bengal, India.
⁶Department of Community Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram, India.
⁷Epidemiology and Research Division, National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore, India.

Introduction: Poverty and poor nutrition are associated with the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB). Socioeconomic factors may interfere with anti-tuberculosis treatment compliance and its outcome. We examined whether providing nutritional support (monthly supply of rice and lentil beans) to TB patients who live below the poverty line was associated with TB treatment outcome. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB patients living below the poverty line (income of <$1.25 per day) registered for anti-tuberculosis treatment in two rural districts of West Bengal, India during 2012 to 2013. We compared treatment outcomes among patients who received nutritional support with those who did not. A log-binomial regression model was used to assess the relation between nutritional support and unsuccessful treatment outcome (loss-to-follow-up, treatment failure and death). Results: Of 173 TB patients provided nutritional support, 15 (9%) had unsuccessful treatment outcomes, while 84 (21%) of the 400 not provided nutrition support had unsuccessful treatment outcomes (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex and previous treatment, those who received nutritional support had a 50% reduced risk of unsuccessful treatment outcome than those who did not receive nutritional support (Relative Risk: 0.51; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.30 - 0.86). Conclusion: Under programmatic conditions, monthly rations of rice and lentils were associated with lower risk of unsuccessful treatment outcome among impoverished TB patients. Given the relatively small financial commitment needed per patient ($10 per patient per month), the national TB programme should consider scaling up nutritional support among TB patients living below the poverty line.

Nutritional Support, Poverty, Pulmonary Tuberculosis, India

Samue, B. , Volkmann, T. , Cornelius, S. , Mukhopadhay, S. , MejoJose, &. , Mitra, K. , Kumar, A. , Oeltmann, J. , Parija, S. , Prabhakaran, A. , Moonan, P. and Chadha, V. (2016) Relationship between Nutritional Support and Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes in West Bengal, India. Journal of Tuberculosis Research, 4, 213-219. doi: 10.4236/jtr.2016.44023.