Assessment of the risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis in rural patients with comorbid bronchopulmonary pathology

The aim was to assess the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis development in patients with comorbid bronchopulmonary pathology living in rural areas. Materials and methods. The retrospective study included 268 patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (TB); in 44 cases there was a combination of TB and chronic bronchopulmonary diseases (BPD). The median population of Omsk district of Omsk region for 5 years was 78325 people (IQR 77 768 – 78 388), of which persons with BPD constituted 8.5% (median – 2191 cases, IQR 2143 – 3321). The odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated for disease risk assessment. Results. The risk of TB was significantly increased in individuals with BPD compared to the rest of the population (OR = 24.06, 95% CI 17.26-35.56, p < 0.001). Maximum risk of disease was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 53.86, 95% CI 36.67-9.11, p < 0.001); bronchial asthma increased the odds of developing TB to a lesser extent (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 1.47-5.24, p < 0.001). The leading additional factor according to the results of factor analysis was the presence of addictions (smoking, past or present substance use). TB contact in this category of patients was either not established or had been previously in penitentiary institution; TB detection occurred when patients sought medical care for reasons unrelated to respiratory pathology.