English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) still remains a global public health problem. Diabetes along with poor glycaemic control leads to an immune compromised state. Type 2 diabetes (DM) is a strong risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) and is associated with a slower response to TB treatment and a higher mortality rate. Objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of rifampicin resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with DM. METHODS The study was conducted in General Medicine Department, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, from July 2018 to December 2019. Sputum was collected from a total of 100 patients who were sputum smear positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB). Sample was collected and was subjected to GeneXpert testing for the evaluation of resistance against rifampicin. RESULTS In our study the incidence of rifampicin resistance was 45.16 % in diabetes and 5.79 % in non-diabetes which was statistically significant ( 2 -1.1; p-0.01) between rifampicin resistance and diabetic patients’ status with active TB in South Karnataka, India. This result supports previous research showing a higher multidrug-resistant tuberculosis risk in tuberculosis & diabetes patients relative to those with no diabetes. Additionally, correlation of other findings between type 2 diabetes & multidrug-resistant tuberculosis as well as delayed time to sputum smear conversion were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS The results showed correlation between diabetes & rifampicin resistance and probably suggest the necessity of integrated diabetes and tuberculosis surveillance programs in South Karnataka, India. KEYWORDS Rifampicin, Tuberculosis, Diabetes Mellitus