Tobacco Troubles: Unraveling Tobacco's role in TB positivity among presumptive patients attending a taluka hospital in Karnataka, India
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Tobacco dependence among patients with Tuberculosis (TB)(confirmed through microbiological tests) can have detrimental effects on treatment outcomes and immune responses. The study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of self-reported tobacco use and dependence cases among presumptive and microbiologically tested and confirmed patients with Tuberculosis. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Government Taluk Hospital, Karkala, Karnataka, from November 2022 to December 2022, on 292 people presumed to have TB. Data was collected using a pre-structured questionnaire including key questions from the WHO tobacco questionnaire, Global Adult Tobacco Survey, and Fagerstrom's test for Nicotine dependence on smoked and non-smoked tobacco. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 29.0 . Results Among 292 presumptive TB patients, 63 patients (21.5%) confirmed tobacco use of which 17(5.8%) only smoked tobacco, 44(15.1%) used smokeless tobacco, and 2(0.7%) used both forms of tobacco. Of the 292 presumptive patients with TB tested, 31(10.6%) patients were microbiologically confirmed to have TB. Varying degrees of nicotine dependence were noted in 2(100%) tobacco-smoking patients and 3(66.7%) smokeless tobacco users; and 1 (100%) using both had significant nicotine dependence. Conclusion Nearly one-fourth of the study population had self-reported tobacco consumption. Significant dependence on tobacco was found among patients where TB was microbiologically confirmed .
Authors: Ankeeta Menona Jacob, Jeni Jacob, Avinash K. Shetty
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,000
OpenAlex ID: W4410378192