Diabetes Mellitus as a Risk Factor for Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Background: In the past, an association between Tuberculosis (TB) and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) was widely accepted, today the potential public health and clinical importance of this relationship seems to be largely ignored. The national clinical and policy guidance in the UK on the central of TB, for example, does not consider the relationship with DM.Objectives: To determine the risk of association between diabetes mellitus and pulmonary TB.Methods: A retrospective study conducted in Ibn Zuhr hospital for chest diseases from Jan 2008 – sep 2010 , included in the study 402 patients with TB divided into diabetic & non diabetic, 96 (23.8%) were diabetic while other 306 were TB not diabetic.Results: Risk of TB among DM patients were clear through its percentage (23.8), female patients increased in compares with non DM, also their age become older with mean change from 36.7 to 46.3 years in diabetic.Conclusions: DM is a big problem worldwide and efforts to diagnose, detect, and treat DM may have a beneficial impact on TB control.