Sex differences in the impact of diabetes mellitus on tuberculosis recurrence: a retrospective national cohort study

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment challenges in TB-diabetes comorbid patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The Directly Observed Treatment-Short Course (DOTS) Programme was implemented by WHO and includes a combination of four anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs (isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol and rifampicin) for a period of six months to eradicate the TB infection completely. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as one of a strong contributor of TB according to World Health Organization (WHO). The presence of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM type 2) makes TB treatment complicated. Thus, the objective of the current meta-analysis was to identify and quantify the impact of type 2 DM on treatment outcomes of TB patients treated under the DOTS Programme.

METHODS

This meta-analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Through a systematic review of relevant literature, we focused on studies investigating treatment outcomes including extended treatment duration and recurrence for individuals with both TB and DM undergoing DOTS therapy. The extracted information included study designs, sample sizes, patient characteristics and reported treatment results.

RESULTS

In 44 studies from different parts of the world, the pooled HR for the impact of DM on extended treatment duration and reoccurrence were HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.83, p < .01 and HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.70-1.04, p = .08, respectively. The pooled HR for impact of DM on composite TB treatment outcomes was calculated as 0.76 (95% CI 0.60-0.87), p < .01 with an effect size of 41.18. The heterogeneity observed among the included studies was moderate (I2 = 55.79%).

CONCLUSIONS

A negative impact of DM was found on recurrence and extended treatment duration in TB patients treated with DOTS therapy. DM type 2 is responsible for the TB treatment prolongation and TB recurrence rates. By implementing effective management strategies and advancing research, the challenges can be mitigated, arising due to the complex interaction between DM and TB.

Low household income increases the risk of tuberculosis recurrence: a retrospective nationwide cohort study in South Korea

OBJECTIVES

We assessed the impact of household income on tuberculosis (TB) recurrence and the long-term impact of TB on household income.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a retrospective nationwide cohort study of patients with drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) and TB recurrence.

METHODS

Using the South Korean national TB cohort database, we identified a sub-set cohort of patients with newly diagnosed drug-susceptible TB between 2013 and 2016 and tracked their TB recurrence and longitudinal income data from 2007 to 2018. Income levels were evaluated as 'Medical aid' and quintile categories. To assess risk factors associated with TB recurrence, we used a sub-distribution hazard model, adjusting for the competing risks of death.

RESULTS

Of 66,690 patients successfully treated with DS-TB, 2095 (3.1 %) experienced recurrence during a median follow-up of 39 months. The incidence of TB recurrence was 982.1/100,000 person-years, with 50.3 % of the recurrences occurring within 1 year of treatment completion. The risk of TB recurrence increased with decreasing income levels, with the highest risk observed in the lowest income group. The effect of income on TB recurrence was prominent in males but not in females. Overall, patients with TB recurrence experienced a linear decline in income levels, compared with those without recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Household income during the initial TB episode was an important risk factor for TB recurrence, particularly in males.

Prevalence and associated factors of diabetes mellitus among patients with tuberculosis in South Korea from 2011 to 2018: a nationwide cohort study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients with tuberculosis (TB) using a nationwide cohort in South Korea.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

This study used the Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis cohort, which was constructed by linking the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance, National Health Information Database (NHID) and Statistics Korea data for the causes of death.

PARTICIPANTS

During the study period, all notified patients with TB with at least one claim in the NHID were included. Exclusion criteria were age less than 20 years, drug resistance, initiation of TB treatment before the study period and missing values in covariates.

OUTCOME MEASURES

DM was defined as having at least two claims of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code for DM or at least one claim of the ICD code for DM and prescription of any antidiabetic drugs. Newly diagnosed DM (nDM) and previously diagnosed DM (pDM) were defined as DM diagnosed after and before TB diagnosis, respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 26.8% (70 119) of patients were diagnosed with DM. The age-standardised prevalence increased as age increased or income decreased. Patients with DM were more likely to be men, older, had the lowest income group, had more acid-fast bacilli smear and culture positivity, had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score and had more comorbidities compared with patients without DM. Approximately 12.5% (8823) patients had nDM and 87.4% (61 296) had pDM among those with TB-DM.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of DM among patients with TB was considerably high in Korea. To achieve the goal of TB control and improve the health outcomes of both TB and DM, integrated screening of TB and DM and care delivery in clinical practice are necessary.