Risk factors for high death and loss-to-follow-up rates among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis at a programmatic management unit

•Despite programmatic efforts, high death and loss to follow up rates are alarming.•Ofloxacin resistance and baseline low body weight emerged as risk factors for death.•This stresses for preserving susceptibility to fluoroquinolones.•Rural residence emerged as a risk factor for loss to follow up.•For rural patients, reducing the frequency of visits in continuation phase in proposed.

Among 186 retrospectively evaluated patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, 33.9% were cured, 6.6% completed treatment, 25% died, 18.3% were lost to follow-up, 2.2% failed treatment, and 13.8% were still undergoing treatment by the end of the study period. Rural residence was a risk factor for loss to follow-up (odds ratio [OR], 3.315; P = .016), whereas baseline body weight <40 kg (OR, 2.175; P = .042) and resistance to ofloxacin (OR, 2.889; P = .025) were risk factors for death. Despite programmatic management, treatment outcomes of the current cohort were distressing.