Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus among Patients with Tuberculosis and Its Associated Factors in Sana'a, Yemen, 2021

Sumia Alturki; Mohammed Al Amad; Esam Mahyoub; Noora Al Hanash; Abdulbary Alhammadi

doi:10.3390/epidemiologia4020021

Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus among Patients with Tuberculosis and Its Associated Factors in Sana'a, Yemen, 2021

Epidemiologia (Basel). 2023 Jun 13;4(2):202-211. doi: 10.3390/epidemiologia4020021.

Authors

Sumia Alturki¹, Mohammed Al Amad¹, Esam Mahyoub², Noora Al Hanash², Abdulbary Alhammadi²

Affiliations

¹ Yemen Field Epidemiology Training Program, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Sana'a City, Yemen.
² Yemen National Tuberculosis Center Program, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Sana'a City, Yemen.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of tuberculosis' (TB) ending barriers. TB patients with DM are at a higher risk than non-diabetes patients to develop complication, relapse and die. In Yemen, information on TB-DM comorbidity is lacking. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of diabetes among TB patients at the National Tuberculosis Center (NTC) in Sana'a. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. All TB patients aged >15 years who attended the NTC from July to November 2021 were screened for DM. Socio-demographic and behavioral information were collected through face-to-face interviews using questionnaires. A total of 331 TB patients were enrolled, 53% were males, 58% aged <40 years, and 74% were newly diagnosed with TB. Overall, DM prevalence was 18%. Higher rates of DM were found among TB patients that were male (OR = 3.0; 95% CI; 1.4-6.7), ≥50 years of age (OR = 10.8; 95% CI; 4.3-27.3), and those with a family history of diabetes (OR = 3.4; 95% CI; 1.6-6.9). Almost one fifth of TB patients had DM. The early detection of DM through immediate screening after a TB diagnosis and periodically during the course of treatment is crucial for TB patients' optimal care. Dual diagnostics for reducing the dual burden of TB-DM comorbidity is recommended.

Keywords: TB–DM; Yemen; national tuberculosis center; tuberculosis.

Grants and funding

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.