Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Diabetes Mellitus Profile

Abstract

Background About 95% of patients with tuberculosis (TB) and 70% of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) live in low and middle-income countries. As a result, DM and TB are increasingly occurring together. The risk of tuberculosis is two to five times greater in patients with diabetes.The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with diabetes and to evaluate the impact of tuberculosis on diabetes control. Patients and Methods This is a retrospective study of 80 patients with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis, comparing 30 patients with diabetes with 50 without diabetes. Results Diabetes was more frequent in older patients with tuberculosis and in male patients. 63,3% had type 2 diabetes. Tuberculosis symptoms did not differ between the two groups. Involvement of basal segments of the lower lobes and cavitation occurred more frequently in patients with diabetes, but this difference was not significant. The time for conversion to negative of sputum culture was longer in control patients (44,1 ± 20,2 days) than in case (36 ± 18.3) (p = 0.08). Conclusion Tuberculosis is frequently associated with diabetes mainly in low-income countries. The problem with this association could be accentuated in the future.