High Tobacco Use among Presumptive Tuberculosis Patients, South India: Time to Integrate Control of Two Epidemics

Objectives

Tobacco is an important risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) infection and TB disease. Identifying tobacco users and providing tobacco cessation services is expected to reduce the burden of TB. We assessed tobacco use among presumptive TB patients attending a tertiary hospital and their willingness to attend tobacco cessation services.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among presumptive TB patients attending a designated microscopy center of a tertiary hospital in South India. All presumptive TB patients aged ≥ 18 years attending the designated microscopy center were interviewed using a semistructured interview schedule. Data on presumptive TB patient's age, sex, tobacco use and forms of tobacco, attempts to quit tobacco since 1 year, and willingness to attend a smoking cessation clinic in tertiary hospital were captured. History of use of tobacco in the past 1 month was considered as “tobacco use.”.

Results

A total of 424 presumptive TB patients aged ≥ 18 years were interviewed. Tobacco use in the past 1 month was reported by 176 (41.5%, 95% confidence interval: 36.9–46.3%) presumptive TB patients. In total, 78 (18%) presumptive TB patients were eventually diagnosed with smear-positive pulmonary TB, of them 63 (80%) were tobacco users. Presumptive TB patients aged ≥ 30 years, male sex, and < 10 years of education were significantly associated with tobacco use. Of 176, a majority of 132 (75%) used some form of smoking. Of a total of 132 smokers, 70 (53%) were willing to avail of tobacco cessation services.

Conclusion

Tobacco use among presumptive TB patients was high. Considering the high willingness to quit among smokers, proven brief interventions to help quit smoking can be tried.

Uptake of HIV testing and HIV positivity among presumptive tuberculosis patients at Puducherry, South India

SETTING

Puducherry, a district in South India with a low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (<1% among antenatal women).

OBJECTIVES

1) To estimate the proportion of patients with known HIV status who were HIV-positive, 2) to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with unknown HIV status among presumptive TB patients, and 3) to assess the additional workload at HIV testing centres.

DESIGN

In this cross-sectional study, consecutive presumptive TB patients attending microscopy centres for diagnosis during March-May 2013 were asked if they knew their HIV status. Patients with unknown HIV status were offered voluntary counselling and HIV testing.

RESULTS

Of 1886 presumptive TB patients, HIV status was ascertained for 842 (44.6%); 28 (3.3%) were HIV-positive. The uptake of HIV testing was significantly higher in younger age groups, males, residents of Puducherry and smear-positive TB patients. The median increase in the number of clients tested for HIV per day per testing centre was 1 (range 0-6).

CONCLUSION

The uptake of HIV testing was low. HIV prevalence was higher among presumptive TB patients than in antenatal women, and as high as in TB patients. With minimal increase in workload at HIV testing centres, HIV testing could be implemented using existing resources.

Characteristics of IFN-γ responses in IGRA among pulmonary TB suspects in a TB-endemic area

Although the diagnostic value of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) release assays for active tuberculosis (TB) is limited, the characteristic of non-TB-specific IFN-γ responses among TB suspects deserves further evaluation. We enrolled clinically suspected pulmonary TB (PTB) patients, and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) was performed. The characteristics of IFN-γ responses were analyzed. Among 392 patients, active PTB patients had stronger IFN-γ responses to TB antigen (TBAg-Nil, P < 0.001) and lower responses to mitogen (Mitogen-Nil, P < 0.001). Lower body mass index (P = 0.001), without bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination (P = 0.026), and active PTB (P = 0.011) were independent factors associated with lower non-TB-specific IFN-γ responses. Among TB suspects with higher TBAg-Nil (>1.02 U/mL) and lower Mitogen-Nil (<5.5 U/mL), 84.3% were active PTB cases. Among TB suspects with lower TBAg-Nil and higher Mitogen-Nil, only 4.7% were active PTB. The present study suggested that the possibilities of active PTB should be carefully excluded in TB suspects with stronger TB-specific and lower non-TB-specific IFN-γ responses in QFT-GIT.