French National Cohort of Patients With Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis

A major obstacle in the fight against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is its treatment. In 2021, only 60% of patients with MDR/RR tuberculosis who received treatment globally were successfully cured, while 12% succumbed to the disease and 10% experienced treatment failure.

In France, a recent study by the National Reference Centre for Mycobacteria showed that while MDR/RR tuberculosis patients treated between 2006 and 2019 in the major reference centres in the Paris region achieved a favourable outcome in 68% of cases, 30% were lost. The main aim of this study is to enhance our understanding of the outcomes for patients suffering from tuberculosis due to rifampin-resistant bacilli, as well as the factors influencing these outcomes. Additionally, it aims to decrease the duration required to relay information to health authorities regarding the status of multidrug resistance and the outcomes of patients in France.

A national longitudinal cohort will be develop to study multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in France. The cohort includes a historical retrospective part from 2006-2019 and a prospective part from 2020, with planned inclusions until 2029. The restrospective cohort includes 298 patients from 2006-2019 and 178 patients from the CNR mycobacteria national registry until 2024. As for the prospective cohort arm, a projected total of roughly 300 patients will be included over the period from 2020 to 2029. Non-identifying clinical data will be derived exclusively from patients medical records at three expert centres in the Paris region for the restrospective cohort and throughout France (national register) for the prospective cohorte. For the retropective cohorte each centers will transcribe pseudonymised clinical data into secure Excel files, while the prospective cohort will enter non-identifying data directly into the national register using a secure platform overseen by the CNR of Mycobactéria.

Registry data will be extracted directly from the registry and merged with the retrospective database every 12 months by the coordinating investigator. Statistical analyses will include descriptive analyses of continuous and categorical variables, comparisons between subgroups using appropriate tests (Student's t, Mann-Whitney, Chi Square, Fisher), and logistic regressions to identify variables associated with treatment outcomes. P value \< 0.05 will be considered statistically significant