A Study on prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among diabetes mellitus patients

Background: Association of diabetes and tuberculosis (TB) has been reported in various literatures globally. Recently there has been increasing mortality in diabetic patients infected with TB. Thus, the present study was undertaken to find out the prevalence of TB in diabetic patients, symptoms, smoking status and radiological patterns of TB in diabetic subjects. Methods: 500 diabetics patients were screened for the presence of TB and out of these 56 patients affected with TB were designated as cases (DM-TB). Meanwhile aged matched non diabetic TB patients were designated as controls (Non DM-TB). The parameters like symptoms, smoking history, sputum positivity and X-ray pattern were evaluated. Results: In this study the prevalence of TB in diabetics was found to be 11.2%. The male subjects were higher in both the groups. The most common symptoms in both the groups were cough, fever and breathlessness. The male smokers were significantly (P<0.005) higher in DM-TB as compared to the Non DM-TB. The sputum positivity for AFB was higher in DM-TB as that of the Non DM-TB (p>0.005). The chest X-ray displays more bilateral infiltration pattern of lesions and bronchiectasis and multiple zones of lesion in DM-TB group. Conclusion: Thus early screening for TB in diabetes is highly vital for better treatment outcome and to reduce the mortality.