Tuberculosis and co-morbidities: Multidisciplinary care model

There has been an increasing awareness regarding need for recognition of co-morbidities in patients with Tuberculosis (TB) in the past few years. Emphasis has been laid down under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) for identification and treatment of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients diagnosed with TB, and provide nutritional support, in order to improve the TB treatment outcomes.

An array of other co-morbidities which remain undiagnosed and untreated have an association with TB. There is an urgent need to establish and develop multidisciplinary care clinics, at least in medical colleges, where diagnosis and treatment of different co-morbidities is done along with TB, under the same roof. This shall help manage patients in totality, save time and prove cost-effective in the long run. In addition, such an approach shall also help in formulating further recommendations regarding appropriate management and follow-up of TB patients with co-morbidities which may decrease the morbidity and mortality.