Frequency of Diabetes Mellitus in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is an important risk factor for Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB). Diabetes and Tuberculosis often present together and complicate each other at many levels. There is inadequate data on the frequency of diabetes mellitus in TB patients in Pakistan. Implementation of bidirectional screening for both diseases in patients with tuberculosis will not only ensure early case detection but also better management of diabetes at the same time. The study was conducted to assess the frequency of diabetes in patients presenting with pulmonary tuberculosis. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 137 sputum positive TB patients were selected by non-probability (purposive) sampling technique and data was collected using a questionnaire. All cases of tuberculosis, more than 18 years of age, were screened for diabetes. Diabetes was confirmed by determining fasting blood sugar level using cut-off value of 126mg/dl. Results: The frequency of diabetes among pulmonary T.B patients in this study is was found to be 34.3% of which 29.9% were known DM cases and 4.4% were newly diagnosed. Conclusion: This study concludes high frequency of Diabetes mellitus in pulmonary tuberculosis. Diabetes is a common co-morbidity in people with TB, screening TB patients with fasting blood sugar estimation will help in early detection of diabetes