Non-success in pulmonary tuberculosis treatment: A narrative review of key contributing factors

Medical factors and non-medical factors account for a high number of difficulties in treating tuberculosis. This study aims to comprehensively examine the factors that contribute to failure in tuberculosis treatment. We searched for relevant articles in various databases, such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Research Gate and Google Scholar. The summary of the results from several of these articles are that advanced age, the presence of comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and HIV, low vitamin C, low body mass index, and non-adherence to treatment are the key factors for failure in pulmonary tuberculosis treatment. The role of health workers in the medical field and support from the patient's family are important to provide support to patients with tuberculosis to increase their compliance with treatment. (Afr J Reprod Health 2024; 28 [10s]: 421-429).