Prevalence of diabetes mellitus among newly detected sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients and associated risk factors: A cross-sectional study

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) co-morbidity is one of the rising public health problems. There is growing evidence that DM is an important risk factor for TB. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of DM among newly detected sputum-positive pulmonary TB patients registered in the District Tuberculosis Centre and to assess the risk factors of DM among TB patients. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, newly detected sputum-positive pulmonary TB patients were screened for DM (those having symptoms of DM). Furthermore, they were diagnosed by detecting blood glucose levels (≥200 mg/dL). Mean, standard deviation (SD), Chi-squared, and Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact tests were used to determine the significant associations. P-values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Results: A total of 215 TB patients were included in this study. The prevalence of DM among TB patients was found to be 23.7% (2.8% known and 97.2% new cases). Significant associations were found between age (>46 years old), educational status, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Conclusion: Routine screening for DM is mandatory due to its increasing prevalence, which may help in early diagnosis and reduce complications by proper management, in turn helping in the successful outcome of TB treatment.