TITLE:
Unbiased Multirresistance Prevalences in Real Testing Practices? An Intuitive Correcting Approach Applied to Tuberculosis in Portugal
AUTHORS:
Cristiana Areias, Teodoro Briz, Carla Nunes
KEYWORDS:
Testing Practices, Tuberculosis, MDR-TB
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Tuberculosis Research,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
11,
2014
ABSTRACT: Background: Antibiotics resistance threats Tuberculosis control, being crucial to work on unbiased MDR-TB images. The decision of testing is clinical, non-random, raising extrapolation problems. Aim: To evince and describe non-random testing practices; develop and apply a coherent and intuitive method for estimating global corrected resistance prevalences (2000-2009). Methods: A quantitative approach upon National Tuberculosis Database was undertaken, to assess testing potential predicting factors. Different factors structures in tested and non-tested cases were characterized (regarding socio-demographic and clinical variables), through binary logistic regressions. Estimated multirresistance prevalences were corrected using the essayed model. Results: Only 32% of cases had been tested, where MDR-TB prevalence was 2.38%. All factors influenced the practice of testing (p