Abstract
Background: The End Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy aims to achieve 90% reduction of deaths due to TB by 2030,
compared with 2015. Mortality due to tuberculosis in Mali was 13 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014 and 11 per 100,
000 inhabitants in 2017. Risk factors for death are not known. The objective of this study was to determine the time
and risk factors for death in pulmonary TB patients with positive microscopy.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from October to December 2016 in Commune VI of Bamako.
Smear positive cases pulmonary tuberculosis from 2011 to 2015 were included. We reviewed the treatment
registers and collected sociodemographic, clinical, biological and therapeutic data. Median time to death and
hazard ratio (HR) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and a Cox regression model, respectively.
Results: In total, we analysed 1362 smear positive cases of pulmonary TB including 104 (8%) HIV positive and 90
(7%) deaths. The mean age was 36 ± 13 years, the sex ratio of males to females was 2:1. Among the deaths, 48
(53%) occurred during the first 2 months of treatment. Age ≥ 45 years (HR 2.09 95% CI [1.35–3.23]), weight