Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Associated Factors among Diabetic Patients Attending Health Care at Debre Tabor General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract
Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease. It is a major cause of morbidity, and mortality in developing countries such as Ethiopia. The burden of TB on Diabetes mellitus (DM), which is one of the most common non-communicable public health problems, is one of the contributing factors for severities of DM. There is no clear scientific data on prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among DM patients at Debre Tabor, Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of smear positive PTB among DM patients who had follow up at Debre Tabor General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2019 to May 2019. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit a total of 258 study subjects. Spot-morning-spot sputum specimens were collected and examined for acid-fast bacilli using direct microscopy by Ziehl-Nelson staining technique. SPSS software version 20 was used for data analysis. Descriptive and logistic analyses were performed. P-value ≤ 0.05 were considered as statically significant. Results were interpreted contextually.
Results: From the total study subjects, 55.8% were males, and 54.2% were females. Close to two-fifth (or 37.6%) of the study participants were between the age of 36–45 years. Most (i.e., 64.3%) of the respondents were urban dwellers. The prevalence of smear positive PTB among DM patients was 2.71%. Patients with DM for less than 5 years showed lower odds of developing PTB (AOR: 0.028; 95% CI: 0.031–0.817) compared with patients with DM for more than 10 years.
Conclusion: In the present study, the prevalence of smear-positive TB was 2.71%, prevalence lower than the national average. Duration of patients with DM was more associated with the prevalence of TB. DM patients should be screened for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Associated Factors among Diabetic Patients Attending Health Care at Debre Tabor General Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(2):141-145]
Keywords: Pulmonary tuberculosis, Diabetes mellitus, Prevalence, Risk factors, Debre Tabor General Hospital