Tuberculosis and tobacco smoking: a risk of development and specific features in smoking patients

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate effects of smoking on risk of pulmonary tuberculosis and clinical course of newly diagnosed tuberculosis. Methods. We questioned 342 patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (of them, 296 active smokers; 86.5%) and 386 healthy individuals (115 smokers; 29.8%). To analyze an effect of smoking on occurrence of pulmonary tuberculosis, the odds ratio (OR), absolute and attributive risks and potential hazard index (number of subjects who should be exposed to a hazardous factor for development one case of a disease) were calculated. Results. Tobacco smoking was associated with 15-fold increase in the risk of tuberculosis (OR 15.16; 95%CI: 10.37; 22.16). This risk was directly related to number of cigarettes smoked per day and to smoking duration. The potential hazard index was less related to number of cigarettes smoked per day (3.87) or smoking duration (4.87) and more closely related to the smoking itself (1.74). Clinical course of pulmonary tuberculosis was analyzed in 296 active smokers with newly diagnosed disease. Conclusion. More severe course of newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis was related to starting tobacco smoking at earlier age, smoking duration, and greater number of cigarettes smoked per day. Furthermore, heavier smoking was associated with more extending lung injury. Tobacco smoking was related to probability of development of pulmonary tuberculosis and to severity of the disease. There is a need of smoking control both in healthy population and in patients with tuberculosis.