As many as one in three people with diabetes is infected with a dormant tuberculosis bacteria that puts them far more greater risk of suffering from or dying from TB than non-diabetics, new research shows.
University of Copenhagen researchers said the bacteria presents a lifelong TB risk. They also said the risk of TB breaking out is four times as likely if a person suffers from diabetes and that diabetics are five times as likely to die during tuberculosis treatment.
"Our studies show, firstly, that diabetes is hastily advancing in developing countries,” said lead researcher Daniel Faurholt-Jepsen. “And secondly, that as a diabetic one is four times more at risk of developing tuberculosis and five times as likely to die under tuberculosis treatment."
Researchers evaluated 1,250 patients newly diagnosed with tuberculosis and 350 people without TB during between 2006 and 2009 to determine the role of diabetes in the risk of TB, treatment results, and survival among the study population.
The researchers noted TB kills more than a million people each year.
“The figure may be much higher in the future if nothing is done now,” Faurholt-Jepsen said. “We should develop better international guidelines for a combined treatment of diabetes and tuberculosis patients as well as better diagnostic methods, which can cheaply and effectively diagnose diabetes among tuberculosis patients."