Prevalence of Various Forms of Active Tuberculosis in Patients with Diabetes

Abstract

A diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a persistent complication of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is linked to a two to four-fold higher likelihood of developing peripheral arterial disease (PAD) when compared to individuals without diabetes. Objective: To determine the incidence of various forms of active tuberculosis in patients with diabetes. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of General Medicine from August 2022 to February 2023. 175 patients, including both males and females, participated in this study. Comprehensive demographic information was meticulously documented for each patient following the appropriate consent procedures. These patients had symptoms such as cough with or without phlegm, hemoptysis, persistent fever, and unexplained weight loss, and their ages ranged from 10 to 85 years. Comprehensive medical history, clinical examination, and TB screening tests were conducted and data analysis were done by SPSS version-24 for further analysis. Results: The mean age was 51.34 years with a standard deviation of 3.61. Among the patients, 107 (61.14%) were male, and 68 (38.85%) were female. The overall prevalence of active TB was 38 cases, accounting for 21.71% of the total. Among these cases, 18 were pulmonary TB, making up 47.36% of the active TB cases, while 13 were extra-pulmonary TB, constituting 34.21% of the total. Additionally, 5 cases were identified as multidrug-resistant TB, representing 13.15% of the active TB cases. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study reveals a higher prevalence of various forms of active tuberculosis in patients with diabetes with pulmonary tuberculosis accounting for 47.35% and extra pulmonary tuberculosis for 34.21% of cases.