Tuberculosis: A Risk Factor Approach

Abstract

One in three people in the world is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 10% of infected individuals will develop the disease at any time in their lifetime. Today, despite the advances in diagnosis and treatment, tuberculosis (TB) remains as one of the biggest challenges in global public health, and low and middle-income countries are the most affected. The risk for developing the disease depends on endogenous, exogenous, and environmental factors. Among the most relevant conditions that could precipitate TB development are those that affect the host-immune response. HIV infection increase about 20 times the risk of TB, and other more common conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, malnutrition, and smoking, also contribute in a big way to the TB pandemic. Global TB control programs in order to achieve the disease control objectives must integrate strategies that have a direct impact on risk factors, not only at an individual level but also on a public health policy level. Here, we review some of the most important risk factors for the development of TB, as one of the most relevant ways for TB control.

Tuberculous pericarditis

“…We describe here the case of tuberculous pericarditis in a man with no apparent risk factors to develop the disease, which reinforces the concept that no predisposing condition is necessary to develop tuberculosis 4 .…”

Determinants of Tuberculosis Among HIV Infected Adults in Horro Guduru Wollega Zone, West Ethiopia: A Facility-Based Case-Control Study

“…This finding is similar with multicenter case control study done in North West Ethiopia, Nigeria, Amhara region (Ethiopia), India (6,32,43,44). This could be explained by social mixing pattern which may increase the risk of exposure to active infectious TB disease in areas where alcohols mostly available like bars where people drinks in group (45), the other possible reason was alcohol consumption reduces the immune response in human and increases the risk for TB/HIV co-infection (2).Alcohol abuse is an important cause of immunological impairment (7).…”

“…In Sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia, the incidence of TB is high in adults receiving HAART than in HIV negative adults due to their low level of immunity (2,4). Factors like sociodemographic, clinical, behavioral and health facility related factors were indicated as a risk of TB/HIV co-infection, but this factors varies contextually and from place to place indicating that some people with HIV/AIDS are infected with TB while other don't (7)(8)(9). This shows that HIV infection is not the only factor for being infected with TB and there are other determinant factors which varies contextually and from one setting to other settings (5,9).…”

Peritoneal tuberculosis masquerading as an ovarian malignancy in a young female: A case report

“…[3][4][5] Risk factors include any form of underlying immunosuppression such as human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes mellitus, treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, ongoing peritoneal dialysis and hepatic cirrhosis, underlying malignancy, chronic steroid use and malnutrition. 3,6 The clinical manifestations of peritoneal TB are quite variable, and nonspecific and mimic many diseases and pathological conditions such as lymphoma, and ovarian malignancy and thus require a high index of clinical suspicion to avoid delayed diagnosis with its associated morbidity and mortality. 7 Clinical manifestations include abdominal pain and swelling, fever, night sweats, weight loss, ascites, and hepatomegaly.…”