The outcome of tuberculosis treatment after implementation of the national tuberculosis control program in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis is an endemic disease in Saudi Arabia. Efforts to control this disease started in 1992 with the establishment of a National Tuberculosis Control Committee. Field application of a national tuberculosis control program (NTCP) was implemented in Riyadh in 1996 by the Ministry of Health, according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). This study was aimed at evaluating the outcome of tuberculosis treatment before and after the implementation of this program. PATIENTS AND METHODS All active tuberculosis cases admitted and treated in the Sahary Chest Hospital, Riyadh, were studied. The outcome of treatment was evaluated, and a comparison was made between 1995 (before the implementation of the NTCP) and the years 1996-1998 (after implementation). RESULTS The total number of tuberculosis cases increased from 504 in 1995 to 726 (44%) in 1998. Cure rate increased from 24.4% to 36.2%, and the default rate decreased from 15% to only 1.2% during the same period. However, there was no change in the rate of completion of treatment, the rate of treatment failures, relapse or deaths. CONCLUSION Although the cure rate slightly improved and the default rate decreased, the overall outcome of the implementation of the national tuberculosis control program was not satisfactory. A recommendation for speedy application of directly observed therapy strategy (DOTS) is made to improve the control of tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia.