Table 1.
Categories for causes of admission based on prespecified criteria for likelihood of diagnosis*
| Category of causes | Description of category |
|---|---|
| Previously undiagnosed TB | In individuals not on TB treatment at the point of admission with clinicopathological features in keeping with TB, with or without microbiological confirmation, and regardless of whether TB treatment was initiated during admission. Prespecified likelihood of diagnosis allocated to each ‘Previously undiagnosed TB’ admission: • Definite: microbiological evidence for TB (positive Xpert MTB/RIF assay or positive TB culture) • Probable: positive AFB microscopy; positive urine LAM; or CSF, chest X-ray, or ultrasound features in keeping with TB • Possible: clinicopathological features of TB |
| On TB treatment with worsening TB disease | In individuals on TB treatment admitted as a result of worsening TB disease |
| Bacterial infections | Admissions resulting from bacterial infections based on clinicopathological evidence for a bacterial infection, including microbiological isolation of an organism or investigation findings specific to bacterial infections. This category excludes new TB cases and surgical-related infections. |
| AIDS-related illnesses | Admissions secondary to WHO clinical stage IV diagnoses,38 excluding TB and severe bacterial infections |
| Treatment-related conditions | Admissions resulting from treatment side effects |
| Non-communicable diseases | Admissions resulting from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer (excluding AIDS-related cancers), and chronic respiratory diseases |
| Surgical conditions | Any surgical condition not related to another category |
| Psychiatric conditions | All psychiatric conditions |
| Renal/liver failure | All forms of renal failure and liver failure not fitting into the previous categories |
| Hematological disorders | Hematological conditions that do not fit into other categories |
| Neurological disorders | Neurological conditions that do not fit into other categories |
| Gastrointestinal disorder | Any gastrointestinal disorder that does not fit into other categories. This group included acute gastroenteritis with no underlying diagnosis. |
| Unknown | Any admission for which there was not enough recorded information in the case report form to place into any other category |
AFB = acid-fast bacilli; CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; LAM = lipoarabinomannan; TB = tuberculosis.
*
See Supplemental Table S1 for criteria used to assign each cause of admission.