Video interview with Dr Anthony Harries is online at (be welcome to use it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9bILRWv1c
TB and Diabetes Co-Morbidity: Scale up collaborative activities!
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'2-3-4-5' linkage!
About 15% of all TB cases are linked to diabetes. During the recently concluded 5th Asia Pacific Region Conference on Lung Health of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Dr Richard Brostrom, State TB Branch Chief and Pacific Regional Medical Officer of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gave some very interesting but grim statistics regarding the nexus between TB and diabetes. He said that, "People with diabetes on being infected with TB have a 2 times higher risk of remaining culture positive; 3 times higher risk of progression to active TB disease from latent infection; 4 times higher risk of relapse after completing standard TB treatment; and 5 times higher risk of death during TB treatment, as compared to those without diabetes."
TB-diabetes co-morbidities are now one of the priorities both in clinical and public health aspects. Several studies confirm the necessity of taking this issue seriously if we aim to have a TB free world.
Bangladesh
One such study on 'Detection of TB among diabetes patients to reduce the burden of TB - diabetes mellitus (TB-DM) co-morbidities in Bangladesh' was presented by Dr Mohammed Sayeedur Rahman at the aforesaid conference. Dr Rahman informed that:
There are 5.9 million people suffering from diabetes in Bangladesh and their number is increasing by 5%--6% each year. Considering the increasing number of populations at risk of both diseases, the combination of TB and DM signifies a health warning for Bangladesh.
The objective of the study was to implement collaborative activities to reduce the burden of TB-DM by increasing early case detection and management of TB among DM patients and developing knowledge and awareness on TB- DM co-morbidities among the health professionals.
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