Anirudha Sharma1, Swati Vijapurkar2, Siddharth Gosavi3, Samarth Samgamesh4, Aishwarya E.5, Ritika Uttam6
BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in India. TB worsens
glycaemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), complicating the
treatment for each condition leading to poor treatment outcomes and increase in
morbidity / mortality. Human immunodeficiency virus - tuberculosis (HIV-TB) coinfections
are on the rise. The objectives of the study were to describe various
comorbidities in patients with tuberculosis, determine expected radiological
presentations in these patients and to determine prognosis altering metabolic
indicators in patients with TB.
METHODS
A prospective cross-sectional study using data of 40 microbiologically diagnosed
TB patients admitted in wards of C.G. Hospital, JJM Medical College, Davangere,
from January to March 2020 was done. Chest x-rays, clinical and haematological
tests were analysed.
RESULTS
TB patients with DM, kidney disease, HIV presented with higher count of fibrosis,
cavities and infiltrates on chest radiographs, and was worse with renal function.
Hospitalisation was prolonged in patients with anaemia, multidrug-resistance
tuberculosis (MDR-TB), urosepsis, and HIV as compared to patients with no
comorbidities. MDR-TB showed more fibrosis. Patients with urosepsis had higher
incidence of multiple lesions and effusion by 4 times.
CONCLUSIONS
Increased HbA1c and sugar levels lead to increase in lesions on chest x-ray in
tuberculosis. Good glycaemic control in TB is a must to achieve good control of
DM and reduce hospitalisation.
