Clinical Features and Predictors of Treatment Outcome in Patients with Ocular Tuberculosis from the Netherlands and Indonesia: The OculaR TB in Low versus High Endemic Countries (ORTEC) Study

Purpose: To describe and compare clinical features, treatment approaches, and treatment outcomes of ocular tuberculosis (OTB) patients in the Netherlands, a low tuberculosis (TB)-endemic country, and Indonesia, a high TB-endemic country. We also aimed to identify predictors of treatment outcomes. Methods: A medical chart review of 339 OTB patients (n = 93 from the Netherlands and n = 246 from Indonesia) was performed. The primary outcome was response to treatment, whether with or without anti-tubercular treatment, after six months of treatment initiation (good versus poor responders). Results: Indonesian OTB patients displayed a higher prevalence of chest radiograph findings indicative of TB infection (p < 0.001) and concurrent active systemic TB (p = 0.011). Indonesian cohort exhibited a more acute and severe disease profile, including uveitis duration ≤ 3 months (p < 0.001), blindness (p < 0.001), anterior chamber (AC) cells ≥ 2+ (p < 0.001), and posterior synechiae (p < 0.001). Overall proportions of good responders to treatment were 67.6% in the Netherlands and 71.5% in Indonesia. Presence of AC cell ≥ 2+ (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.12, 95% CI: 1.09–4.14), choroidal lesions other than serpiginous-like choroiditis (SLC) or tuberculoma (aOR: 4.47, 95% CI: 1.18–16.90), and retinal vasculitis (aOR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.10–4.90) at baseline were predictors for poor response to treatment. Conclusions: Despite a more severe initial clinical presentation in the Indonesian cohort, the overall treatment outcomes of OTB was comparable in both cohorts. Three baseline clinical features were identified as predictors of treatment outcomes.