Tuberculosis among drug addicts in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

The relation between drug addiction and tuberculosis was assessed in a comparative prevalence study. A group of 561 male addicts were compared with a group of 1532 non-addicts of similar sociocultural background. The results of infection rate showed a statistically significant difference X[2] = 72, P < 0.001] in the proportion of positive tuberculin sensitivity between the groups [66.7% among addicts versus 45.6% in the control group]. Fourteen active cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were found among the addicts with no case in the control group. This gives a prevalence rate of 2500/100 000 addicts, more than 150 times the rate in the general population. Thus, drug addicts are a high-risk group for tuberculosis and a "hidden source" of the disease in the community