The burden and treatment outcomes of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in Bhutan

Setting:

All tuberculosis (TB) registration sites in Bhutan.

Design:

Cross-sectional study involving a retrospective review of TB registers and TB treatment cards.

Objectives:

To determine: 1) the number and proportion of all TB cases registered as extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) from 2001 to 2010, 2) the age and sex of the patients and the categories and types of EPTB registered in 2010, and 3) their treatment outcomes.

Results:

The proportion of all TB cases registered as EPTB over a period of 10 years varied from 30% to 40%. In 2010, 505 patients were registered with EPTB, of whom 50% were male, 21% were children, and 96% were new EPTB cases. TB lymph node enlargement and pleural effusion were the two most common types of EPTB, accounting for 67%, followed by abdominal TB and spinal/bone/kidney disease. The overall treatment success rate was 90%, and was generally similar with respect to sex, age and different types of EPTB.

Conclusion:

Bhutan has a high proportion of patients registered as having EPTB, for whom treatment outcomes are satisfactory. Further work is needed to better understand how EPTB is diagnosed throughout the country.