Table 1. Baseline characteristics of patients initiating treatment for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa, 2006–2010*.
| Characteristic | Total, n = 355 | HIV negative, n = 124 | HIV positive, receiving ARVs at start of treatment, n = 114 | HIV positive, not receiving ARVs at start of treatment, n = 79 | HIV positive, ARV status unknown, n = 27 | p value† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treated in KZN | 124 (36.1) | 28 (22.6) | 57 (46.0) | 34 (27.4) | 5 (4.0) | <0.0001 |
| Treated in EC | 220 (64.0) | 96 (43.6) | 57 (25.9) | 45 (20.5) | 22 (10.0) | |
| Male sex† | 155 (45.1) | 74 (47.7) | 41 (26.5) | 29 (18.7) | 11 (7.1) | 0.0007 |
| Age, y, at start of treatment | 35 (28–44) | 37 (24–48) | 35 (30–41) | 34 (30–42) | 34 (28–42) | 0.44 |
| Weight, kg, at start of treatment | 49 (43–55) | 49 (43–55) | 49 (44–57) | 49 (43–54) | 46 (42–53) | 0.52 |
| Weight >50 kg at start of treatment | 176 (51.2) | 65 (36.9) | 59 (33.5) | 37 (21.0) | 15 (8.5) | 0.83 |
| Diabetes | 14 (4.1) | 10 (71.4) | 1 (7.1) | 3 (21.4) | 0 | 0.03 |
| Initial CD4 count, cells/mm3 | 220 (64.0) | 0 | 114 (51.8) | 79 (35.9) | 27 (12.3) | <0.0001 |
| AIDS at start of treatment‡ | 193 (110–313) | NA | 181 (97–238) | 217 (126–370) | 329 (162–413) | 0.002 |
| Months previous MDR TB treatment | 4 (0–8) | 6 (0–11) | 2 (0–7) | 1 (0–7) | 5.5 (4–16) | 0.62 |
| Months previous TB treatment | 13 (8–19) | 13 (8–21) | 12 (8–17) | 12 (7–18) | 16 (11–24) | 0.44 |
| Previous TB episodes | 2 (2–3) | 3 (2–3) | 2 (2–3) | 2 (2–3) | 3 (2–4) | 0.34 |
| Previous episode of MDR TB | 214 (63.3) | 84 (39.3) | 64 (29.9) | 43 (20.1) | 23 (10.8) | 0.004 |
| Cavitary disease at start of treatment | 187 (57.5) | 81 (43.3) | 55 (29.4) | 37 (19.8) | 14 (7.5) | 0.05 |
| Smear positive at start of treatment | 173 (53.1) | 48 (27.8) | 67 (38.7) | 41 (23.7) | 17 (9.8) | 0.03 |
| No. TB-resistant drugs | 5 (4–6) | 4 (4–5) | 5 (4–6) | 5 (4–6) | 5 (5–6) | 0.005 |
*Values are no. (%) or median (interquartile range). p values in bold are statistically significant. ARVs, antiretroviral drugs; EC, Eastern Cape Province; KZN, KwaZulu Natal Province; MDR TB, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; NA, not applicable; TB, tuberculosis. †Calculation excluded 11 patients with unknown HIV status. ‡AIDS defined by CD4 count <200 cells/mm3 at start of treatment or AIDS-defining illness other than TB.