Prevalence and associated factors of delayed sputum smear conversion in patients treated for smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis: A retrospective follow up study in Sabah, Malaysia.

Introduction Tuberculosis remains a major health problem globally and in Malaysia, particularly in the state of Sabah. Delayed sputum conversion is associated with treatment failure, drug-resistant tuberculosis and mortality. We aimed to determine the prevalence of delayed sputum conversion among smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients and its associated factors in Sabah, Malaysia. Methods A retrospective follow up study on all patients newly diagnosed with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis from 2017 to 2019 was conducted at three government health clinics in Sabah, utilizing... Mehr ...