The Impact on the Quality of Life of Patients with Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis – Brief Review

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR TB) is a major threat worldwide, despite the fact that the EndTB strategy involves early diagnosis and prompt treatment of all people of all ages with any form of sensitive or drug-resistant tubrculosis. Both forms of tuberculosis imply high morbidity and mortality, but drug-resistant TB accentuates these aspects due to problems arising from the nature of long and difficult to tolerate treatment, which can often lead to abandonment. The impact of tuberculosis is not limited only to clinical indicators, but also to the quality of life, directly reduced by the disease and treatment (weight loss, asthenia, medication side effects, distant sequelae, comorbidities), but also indirectly through the nature of the disease (social inclusion, job loss).

For this short review, the PubMed database was used, using key words such as quality of life, drug- resistant tuberculosis, physical, emotional impairment, treatment side effects. Patients with treatment-resistant tuberculosis face limitations in all areas of quality of life due to tuberculosis, both at initiation of treatment and at its completion. The impact of tuberculosis affects all areas of quality of life, both physically, emotionally, professionally and financially, both at initiation of treatment and post-treatment. The particular aspect of psychological impairment of DR-TB patients requires additional attention from the medical professionals involved in treating these patients and implementing additional support measures to help patients. The quality of life of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis is an area that requires additional research, having an extremely important role in the success of antituberculosis treatment. Quality of life indicators could shape a more complete picture of TB’s impact on patients’ lives, both during and after treatment.