Setting: Even among persons who have completed a course of treatment for their first tuberculosis (TB) episode, patients with a history of TB are at higher risk for having TB.
Objective: To describe factors from the initial TB episode associated with recurrent TB among patients who completed treatment and remained free of TB for at least 12 months.
Design: During 1993-2006, US TB cases stratified by birth origin were examined. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the association of factors during the initial episode with recurrence at least 12 months after treatment completion.
Results: Among 632 US-born patients, TB recurrence was associated with age 25-44 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.77, 99% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-3.09, attributable fraction [AF] 1-34%), substance use (aHR 1.57, 99%CI 1.23-2.02, AF 8-22%), and treatment supervised by health departments (aHR 1.42, 99%CI 1.03-1.97, AF 2-28%). Among 211 foreign-born patients, recurrence was associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection (aHR 2.24, 99%CI 1.27-3.98, AF 2-9%) and smear-positive TB (aHR 1.56, 99%CI 1.06-2.30, AF 3-33%).
Conclusion: Factors associated with recurrence differed by origin of birth, and might be useful for anticipating greater risk for recurrent TB among certain patients with a history of TB.