CLINICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PULMONARY TB IN SMOKERS

Tobacco use is widely spread all around the world and, according to the World Health Organization, has become the leading cause of death among persons aged ≥ 30 years old. Smoking contributes to the development of many infectious diseases, including pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Year after year we observe more evidence of the association between long-term smoking and risks for the development of pulmonary TB. Objective: to study the clinical and radiological features into two groups. Group 1 included 63 active smokers, and group 2 included 25 never-smokers. Results. The analysis of the two groups revealed that retreatment and relapse cases were more common among smokers. The majority of newly diagnosed TB cases were among never-smokers. Fibrocavernous pulmonary TB was oftener diagnosed among smokers vs non-smokers. Cavities and sputum positivity was more common among smokers. The analysis of drug resistance patterns established the predominance of MDR and XDR among smokers, while TB in non-smokers was more commonly caused by drug sensitive mycobacteria.