Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25528248›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2014

Timing, rates, and causes of death in a large South African tuberculosis programme.

Nigel Field, Megan S C Lim, Jill Murray, Robert J Dowdeswell, Judith R Glynn, Pam Sonnenberg

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Cost-effectiveness of community tuberculosis screening in South Africa.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2026
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  10. Tuberculosis deaths are predictable and preventable: Comprehensive assessment and clinical care is the key.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2020
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Nigel FieldResearch Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, Mortimer Market Centre (off Capper St), London, WC1E6JB, UK. nigel.field@ucl.ac.uk.
Megan S C LimResearch Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, Mortimer Market Centre (off Capper St), London, WC1E6JB, UK. lim@burnet.edu.au.
Jill MurrayNational Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Jill.murray@telkomsa.net.
Robert J DowdeswellRustenburg Platinum Mines Limited, Rustenburg, South Africa. robdowdeswell@gmail.com.
Judith R GlynnDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. judith.glynn@lshtm.ac.uk.
Pam SonnenbergResearch Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, Mortimer Market Centre (off Capper St), London, WC1E6JB, UK. p.sonnenberg@ucl.ac.uk.
University College London · GBBurnet Institute · AULondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBUniversity of the Witwatersrand · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTuberculosis (TB) mortality remains high across sub-Saharan Africa despite integration of TB and HIV/ART programmes. To inform programme design and service delivery, we estimated mortality by time from starting TB treatment.

methodsRoutinely collected data on TB treatment, vital status, and the timing and causes of death, were linked to cardio-respiratory autopsy data, from 1995-2008, from a cohort of male platinum miners in South Africa. Records were expanded into person-months at risk (pm).

results4162 TB episodes were registered; 3170 men were treated for the first time and 833 men underwent retreatment. Overall, 509 men died, with a case fatality of 12.2% and mortality rate of 2.0/100 pm. Mortality was highest in the first month after starting TB treatment for first (2.3/100 pm) and retreatment episodes (4.8/100 pm). When stratified by HIV status, case fatality was higher in HIV positive men not on ART (first episode 14.0%; retreatment episode 26.2%) and those on ART (12.0%; 22.0%) than men of negative or unknown HIV status (2.6%; 3.6%). Mortality was also highest in the first month for each of these groups. Mortality risk factors included older age, previous TB, HIV, pulmonary TB, and diagnostic uncertainty. The proportion of deaths attributable to TB was consistently overestimated in clinical records versus cardio-respiratory autopsy.

conclusionsProgramme mortality was highest in those with HIV and during the first month of TB treatment in all groups, and many deaths were not caused by TB. Resource allocation should prioritise TB prevention and accurate earlier diagnosis, recognise the role of HIV, and ensure effective clinical care in the early stages of TB treatment.

Indexed as

AdultAge FactorsAntiretroviral Therapy, Highly ActiveCause of DeathCoinfectionHIV InfectionsHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetreatmentRisk FactorsSouth AfricaTime FactorsTuberculosisTuberculosis, Pulmonary

Identifiers

PMID25528248
PMCPMC4297465
OpenAlexW1991030314

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.