Socio-Economic Burden of Tuberculosis among Hospitalized Patients in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) affects the most productive age group people, resulting in economic loss to the individual and their family, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the economic burden of TB in Hospitalized patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among hospitalized TB patients who visited the National Institute of Chest Disease and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from June 2017 through February 2018. Most TB patients were male (95%) with the age group between 36 and 50 years (42.3%). A majority of the patients (96%) came to the hospital for retreatment of TB. Two-third of the patients went to the hospital from rural areas. The average cost for treating individual TB patients was ~600 US$ (United States dollar). The average productive days lost of a TB patient were 141 days. TB patients from rural areas spent more money than patients living in urban and semi-urban areas. More awareness is needed, particularly in rural people about the current TB burden, nearest TB treatment facilities, and the National Tuberculosis Control Program to minimize economic loss. These study findings also demand the establishment of a specialized TB hospital at the sub-district level.

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