6.3 Summary of findings

The pooled IPD from longitudinal cohort studies showed a lower risk of death and a higher likelihood of cure, and resolution of TB signs and symptoms in patients using ART, compared with those not using ART (low-quality evidence). There is very low certainty evidence for other outcomes that were considered critical or important for decision-making (e.g. severe adverse effects from second-line drugs for DR-TB, occurrence of sputum smear or culture conversion, interactions of ART with antituberculosis drugs and default from treatment). Available data did not allow assessment for several other outcomes of interest; namely, avoiding the acquisition of additional drug resistance, preventing TB transmission, sustaining relapse-free cure, establishing the optimal duration of MDR-TB treatment, avoiding unnecessary MDR-TB treatment, reducing costs and improving population access to appropriate care.

Book navigation