A study conducted by M V Hospital for Diabetes, Chennai, India and Diabetes Research Center, a WHO-collaborating Center for Excellence in Diabetes, reported at least fifty percent of tuberculosis (TB) patients is either pre-diabetic or diabetic, and newly diagnosed patients for TB were more prone to diabetes. The study found that males are more likely to develop diabetes than women, may be due to alcohol and smoking habits. 

This study was conducted in Tamilnadu, India with 800 participants, who are previously and newly diagnosed with TB. These participants are subjected for Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and results revealed nearly 24.5% participants are pre-diabetics and 25.3% individuals developed diabetes with symptoms. In the latter group, nearly 9% of TB patients are recently diagnosed with TB. Patients with both diseases exhibit the clinical symptoms of pulmonary TB. 

In early 2011, the study was conducted in five TB treatment units including Jaibeem Nagar and Medavakkam in Chennai, Nandivaram, Budur and Beerakuppam. These patients enrolled in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme for Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) treatment of TB. 

In a press meet Dr. Vijay Vishwanathan, M.D, M V Hospital for Diabetes and Prof. M. Vishwanathan of Diabetes Research Center release the study. Dr.Vijay Vishwanathan says the study was conducted to determine the prevalence of diabetes in TB patients, and results showed that the prevalence of diabetes is almost double in TB patients, when compared to the general population. Nearly 50% of TB patients are either diabetic or pre-diabetic, and it may be due impaired glucose homeostasis due to infection and this finding clearly presents current scenario of TB in India, and it’s a challenge for the medical community, he added. 

According to Dr.Vishwanathan, diabetes can cause immuno-suppression and diabetics living in epidemic areas are more susceptible for TB. In India, the number of people with diabetes and TB are growing rapidly and it is important to diagnose the TB patients for diabetes and vice versa and proper treatment should be provided, if needed. For TB, diabetes causing factors such as familial history, medications and sedentary life style should be taken into consideration, and these patients should be screened for diabetes in the early stages, for proper treatment and disease management, he says.

This research study was published in PLos, a prestigious and peer-reviewed medical journal.