Background

Increased incidence of Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is eroding the gains made in controlling the disease. The drugs used to treat MDR-TB have several side effects which enhance morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.

Objective

To determine the prevalence of adverse drug events among patients on MDR-TB therapy in Nairobi City County.

Methods

A longitudinal study was carried out in four health facilities within Nairobi City County. It involved twenty- three participants who were on MDR-TB treatment selected through universal sampling. Eligible respondents were taken through a consenting process and those who concurred were included in the study. Data was collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire. The participants were interviewed and their responses entered accordingly. Analysis of the data was done using STATA version 13 and both inferential and descriptive analyses were used to generate the report.

Results

Among the patients who were on therapy for drug-resistant tuberculosis, the main adverse drug events involved disturbances of the nervous system (91.3%), gastrointestinal (87%), musculoskeletal (73.9%), cardiovascular (43.5%) and endocrine (43.5%) systems. The other less common but serious adverse drug events were nephrotoxicity (6, 21.6%), hepatotoxicity (5, 21.7%) and rash (5, 21.6%). All the participants suffered from many adverse events and 12(52.2%) had experienced ten and below while 11(47.8%) had more than ten adverse events.