DRUG RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS THAT ARE DIAGNOSED IN PRIMARY CASES AND RETREATMENT CASES IN RIVERS STATE

Drug resistant tuberculosis studies in Rivers State, an oil-rich area in Nigeria. The National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and BuruliUlcer program at the state level started around 2009 and drug-resistant tuberculosis started receiving data from the localgovernment areas of the state. The data generated for this research is from the state ministry of health in the NTLB. This study iscarried out to assess the trend of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the state, a total of 250 patients were used for this research withmale 147 (58.8%) and female 103 (41.2%). The retreatment cases were 190(76%) while primarily diagnosed or new cases were60(24%). SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data with t-test and linear regression used as statistical tools. From a linearregression test, the trend of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the state was increasing until 2016 where it has its highest occurrenceand is gradually declining. A test of significance showed that females have a better outcome, less in HIV co-infection compared tomales of the same age groups of 15-44 that had the highest number. Retreatment cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis are notfavorable when compared to the new cases, the incidence of death, loss to follow up are more among the males in retreatment ofdrug-resistant tuberculosis. All these findings may be associated with some level of factors this research tried to do but waslimited to a certain stage.