Diabetes mellitus and smoking among tuberculosis patients in a tertiary care centre in Karnataka, India

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and smoking are risk factors for adverse outcomes in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). In a tertiary care hospital at Belgaum in the South Indian State of Karnataka, all TB patients aged ≥18 years consecutively diagnosed from February to September 2012 were evaluated for DM and smoking. Of 307 TB patients, 35.5% were found to have DM, 9.8% were current smokers, and 3.6% had DM and were also smokers. Measures to assess and address both these factors need to be taken into account during TB treatment.