ASSESSMENT OF DIRECT OBSERVED TREATMENT WITH SHORT COURSE THERAPY (DOTS) IN ASSIUT CITY

Abstract

Tuberculosis is one of the major public health problems in developing countries. It makes its impact feet through out ages, no other disease has so much sociological, economic, and health significance as tuberculo•sis has (Raviglion et a!., 1995). The world health organization (WHO) m 1986 estimated that 8-10 millions new cases of tuberculosis developed every year causing 2-3 millions deaths annually. In Egypt the disease is considered the secend major health problem after bilharziasis (AL-Helaly et al., 1992). Directly observed therapy, short course is naw accepted as the treatment regimen of choice for tuberculosis in many developing and developed cmmtries. DOTS was applied in Assiut since April1997. This study was done retrospectively and propectively among the attendents of chest out patient clinic and inpatients in Assiut Chest Hospital from April 1997 to March 2000, to detect the efficacy of DOTS program m treatment of tuberculosis and to know its effect on patients' outcome. The total number ofTB cases was 1407, out of them 819 patients were males (58.2%) and 588 (41.8%) were females. The highest incidence (53.9%) was fmmd in the middle age group between 20 and 39 years old. While the lowest incidence was in extremes of age below nine and above sixty years old (6%).