Analysis of the Prevalence of the Tuberculosis Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in South India
Abstract:
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium TB, which represents a global public health concern and leads to death due to a single infectious agent. Also, diabetes mellitus (DM), predominantly type-2 diabetes (T2DM), upsurges the risk of infections, including TB. Hence, this study aimed to reveal the prevalence of TB patients with DM, particularly in South India.
Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using the India TB Dataset 2023 of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, India, through the Kaggle platform. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The overall percentage of TB patients with DM in six South Indian states was highest in Puducherry (99%), followed by Andhra Pradesh (98.9%), Tamil Nadu (96.6%), Karnataka (95%), Telangana (93.7%) and Kerala (93.3%). The percentage of patients diagnosed with DM among those tested is high in Kerala (32.6%) and low in Telangana (6%). Meanwhile, the percentage of TB patients with DM initiating anti-diabetic treatment was high in Puducherry (95.9%) and lowest in Andhra Pradesh (67.7%). Also, the percentage of TB patients with DM was highest in Dam and Due (99.2%) and the lowest in Manipur (74.3%).
Conclusion: Six states of South India had more prevalence of TB patients with DM. The percentage of TB patients diagnosed with DM while testing was high in Kerala (32.6%). 95.9% of TB patients initiating anti-diabetic treatment were observed in Puducherry. Although the World Health Organization's End TB Strategy supports India with an excellent plan for promoting the prevention and treatment of TB, the number of TB cases is still higher in South Indian states, which requires more attention.
