Epidemiology and interaction of diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis and challenges for care: a review
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: The global burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) is immense, with numbers expected to rise to over 550 million by 2030. Countries in Asia, such as India and China, will bear the brunt of this unfolding epidemic. Persons with DM have a significantly increased risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) that is two to three times higher than in persons without DM. This article reviews the epidemiology and interactions of these two diseases, discusses how the World Health Organization and International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease developed and launched the Collaborative Framework for the care and control of TB and DM, and examines three important challenges for care. These relate to 1) bi-directional screening of the two diseases, 2) treatment of patients with dual disease, and 3) prevention of TB in persons with DM. For each area, the gaps in knowledge and the priority research areas are highlighted. Undiagnosed, inadequately treated and poorly controlled DM appears to be a much greater threat to TB prevention and control than previously realised, and the problem needs to be addressed. Prevention of DM through attention to unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles and childhood and adult obesity must be included in broad non-communicable disease prevention strategies. This collaborative framework provides a template for action, and the recommendations now need to be implemented and evaluated in the field to lay down a firm foundation for the scaling up of interventions that work and are effective in tackling this dual burden of disease.
Source: Public Health Action
DOI: 10.5588/pha.13.0024
Institutions: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, World Health Organization - India, Médecins Sans Frontières, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Health Organization, World Diabetes Foundation
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2159553528