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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 20, Number 1

Mortality after anti-tuberculosis treatment completion: results of long-term follow-up

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BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis affects the lung parenchyma even after successful treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To assess long-term mortality in a cohort of individuals who had recovered from tuberculosis (TB), and to compare their mortality rate and causes of death with those of the general population.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study of all Israeli citizens who recovered from tuberculosis between 2000 and 2010 included all patient files and death certificates and/or hospitalisation records of deceased individuals. Death rates were computed using standard mortality rates (SMR). Cox proportional hazard regression was conducted to identify risk factors for death, and causes of death were compared with those in the general Israeli population.

RESULTS: Over 11 years of follow-up, comprising 18 246 person-years, 389 (12.0%) Israeli citizens died after completion of anti-tuberculosis treatment, giving an SMR of 3.7. The SMR was strongly correlated with age, and was highest in males and individuals aged 25–44 years. Compared to the general population, among individuals who recovered from TB there were more deaths due to septicaemia and pneumonia, and fewer deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases, stroke and diabetes (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who recover from TB are at higher risk of long-term mortality than the general population, and their causes of death are different. Periodical follow-up might be beneficial for individuals to facilitate early diagnosis.

Keywords: Israel; death; standard mortality rate; tuberculosis

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Braun Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel 2: Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Braun Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of International Relations, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel 3: Department of Tuberculosis and AIDS, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel 4: Department of Tuberculosis and AIDS, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel; Ramla Department of Health, Ministry of Health, Ramla, Israel

Publication date: 01 January 2016

More about this publication?

  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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