Tuberculosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Tuberculosis, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, pulmonary, mycobacterium.

Type 2 diabetes and tuberculosis in a dynamic bi-national border population.

Restrepo BI, Fisher-Hoch SP, Crespo JG, Whitney E, Perez A, Smith B, McCormick JB,

University of Texas School of Public Health Regional Campus in Brownsville, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.

The epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States prompted us to explore the association between diabetes and tuberculosis (TB) on the South Texas-Mexico border, in a large population of mostly non-hospitalized TB patients. We examined 6 years of retrospective data from all TB patients (n=5049) in South Texas and northeastern Mexico and found diabetes self-reported by 27.8% of Texan and 17.8% of Mexican TB patients, significantly exceeding national self-reported diabetes rates for both countries. Diabetes comorbidity substantially exceeded that of HIV/AIDS. Patients with TB and diabetes were older, more likely to have haemoptysis, pulmonary cavitations, be smear positive at diagnosis, and remain positive at the end of the first (Texas) or second (Mexico) month of treatment. The impact of type 2 diabetes on TB is underappreciated, and in the light of its epidemic status in many countries, it should be actively considered by TB control programmes, particularly in older patients.

Published 27 March 2007 in Epidemiol Infect, 135(3): 483-91.
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