Survival analysis of average recovery time of tuberculosis patients in northern region, Ghana

In this study, the average recovery time of Tuberculosis patients and the associated risk of treatment failure were examined based on a retrospective moving cohort of sixty-one patients in Northern Region, Ghana. Cox regression was used for multivariate analysis whiles Product-Limit estimator was used to estimate the average recovery time of tuberculosis patients. It was observed that the survival rates for males and females were 85.71% and 88.46% respectively. It was discovered that, age of patient at diagnosis, category, and type of patient were crucial determinants of treatment outcome. The study reported a median recovery time of 22 weeks in the Region. The risk of relapse and death were found to be related to age. It was also realized from the study that most of the deaths occurred within the first three weeks of treatment. Although, it is generally reported that the levels of drug resistance in Africa are lower than in other parts of the world, measures to provide controlled application of second-line drugs, supervision of drug distribution and compliance, enforcement of Directly Observed Therapy–Short course protocols, and sustained training of all personnel involved in tuberculosis management should be enforced for effective combat of the tuberculosis disease.