TB diagnosis faces hurdles amid new COVID wave

In the initial days of the shutdown, diagnosis of TB cases in the city was not effective, leading to lesser identification and testing of the cases. “This is mostly due to lack of access to hospitals from the patients’ end and delayed diagnosis due to the focus of COVID-19 testing, as the symptoms are very similar. This led to delayed treatment despite fast-track testing being available,” said Dr Anantha Subramanian, Pulmonologist, Kauvery Hospital. 

Lack of access also has led to the later intervention of TB, which is critical for treatment. “Due to lack of access to hospitals, many patients failed to uphold their treatment schedule or missed doses. This can lead to cases of multi-drug TB, which intensified during the shutdown. The lockdown also disrupted Government services which provided treatment to patients, especially in harder-to-reach areas,” said Dr Spoorthi Arun, American Board-certified Internal Medicine Physician, Promed Hospital. 

According to Dr S Suresh, Consultant Pulmonologist, Gleneagles Global Health City, not only was there several cases of incorrect self-medication, but also an increase in TB cases post-COVID. “I saw an increase in TB cases, especially post-shutdown. These new patients had mild to moderate symptoms. However, due to the immunosuppressing nature of COVID-19 treatment, more patients were susceptible to contracting TB,” he said. 

According to Dr Spoorthi, the pandemic has popularised teleconsultations, which is a great tool to ensure follow-up consultations and treatment, which is key in TB treatment.