Abstract
Rationale: There is dearth of data on the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Objectives: To determine prevalence and predictors of latent tuberculosis infection among diabetic patients .
Methods: Type 2 diabetic patients attending medical outpatient clinic in a Specialist Hospital in Nigeria and apparently healthy controls matched for age and sex were recruited.Socio demographic and clinical data were obtained through a pro forma. Blood specimen collected into the QuantiFERON tubes for measurement of interferon gamma were processed, analysed and read according to the manufacturers' instruction. Glycosylated hemoglobin and total cholesterol were recorded. Controls were apparently healthy individuals with normal blood sugar and no past treatment for TB.
Results: Sixty type 2 diabetic patients and 55 controls similar in age, sex and social class distribution were recruited. Mean interferon gamma was significantly higher among diabetic patients compared with control,(0.36+ 0.24IU/ml and 0.19+ 0.02IU/ml, p value < 0.05).Twenty two(37%) and 11(20%) type 2 diabetic patients and control had positive QuantiFERON results respectively ,p value =0.002. Latent tuberculosis infection in DM patients was associated with degree of glyceamic control and smoking, p value was less than 0.05 each.Predictors of a positive test on QuantiFERON on linear regression include levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and total cholesterol, p value was less than 0.05 each.
Conclusion: The prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection is high among type 2 diabetic patients.
Funding: QIAGEN,GmbH, Hilden, Germany provided only the QuantiFERON test kit used for this study.
- Copyright ©ERS 2015
