Diabetes Mellitus among Newly Diagnosed Tuberculosis Patients during COVID-19 Pandemic Period in a Secondary Health Institution

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis is one of the major public health problems worldwide and it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The risk of TB infection not only rises in diabetes patients, but is also associated with a higher risk of an increased number of diabetes complications. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) among patients with newly diagnosed TB in Civil hospital Dehra, district Kangra (HP) a secondary health institute. AIM: To study the prevalence of DM in newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Materials and Methods: Total 40 newly diagnosed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) who came in medicine OPD, Civil hospital Dehra from August 2020 to April 2021 during COVID -19 pandemic period were enrolled in the study. Their fasting blood glucose (FBG) was done. Screening and diagnosis of DM was done according to American diabetes association (ADA) guidelines. Results: The prevalence of DM and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in newly diagnosed tubercular patients was 10% and 12.5% respectively in our study. Conclusion: The prevalence of FBS was found to be higher in patients with TB than the general population. Hence it is very important to screen these patients timely to prevent further complications. Keywords: Tuberculosis (TB), diabetes mellitus (DM), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), fasting blood glucose (FBG).