Drug resistance of previously treated tuberculosis patients with diabetes mellitus in Shandong, China

Background Although the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) has been well-documented for centuries, evidence of the link between diabetes and drug resistance among previously treated TB patients remains limited and inconsistent. Methods An observational study was performed that involved 1791 retreated TB-no DM patients (refers to TB cases without diabetes) and 93 retreated TB-DM patients (refers to TB cases with diabetes) in Shandong, China from 2004 to 2017. Baseline data including demographic and clinical characteristics, drug susceptibility test (DST) results, and diabetes status were collected. Categorical baseline characteristics were compared by Fisher's exact or Pearson Chi-square test. Univariable analysis and multivariable logistic models were used to estimate the association between diabetes and different drug resistance profiles. Results Retreated TB-DM patients have a higher rate of drug resistance than TB-no DM patients (34.41% vs 25.00%, P Conclusions The risk of acquired drug resistance increased significantly among retreated TB-DM patients compared with retreated TB-no DM patients, underlining the necessity of more interventions during the clinical management of TB-DM cases.