Epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis patients complicated with diabetes in Inner Mongolia 2016–2020

  Objective   The epidemiological characteristics of patients suffering from tuberculosis combined with diabetes mellitus (TB-DM) registered in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Inner Mongolia) from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed to provide a basis for formulating measures to prevent and treat TB in this special population group.

  Methods   The basic information, including gender, age, occupation, patient origin, treatment outcome, initial and retreatment, of pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes registered in Inner Mongolia from 2016 to 2020 were collected from the Infectious Disease Surveillance System. Software SPSS 20.0 was used for epidemiological analysis.

  Results   From 2016 to 2020, a total of 1 526 pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes were registered in Inner Mongolia with the average annual registration rate of 1.22/100 000 (1 526/125 272 000), accounting for 2.94% of the total number of pulmonary TB patients. Among the pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes, 1 124 were men and 402 were women. The ratio of male to female was 2.80:1, higher than 1.96:1 in pulmonary TB patients without diabetes (χ²=36.560, P<0.001). The pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes were mainly farmers, accounting for 53.74%, followed by the jobless or the unemployed, accounting for 18.41%, consistent with the occupation distribution of pulmonary TB patients without diabetes. The pulmonary TB patients with diabetes were mainly detected in their medical care seeking in hospitals, accounting for 48.95%, followed by referral (27.65%). The pulmonary TB patients without diabetes were mainly detected in their medical care seeking in hospitals, accounting for 39.24%, followed by follow up (27.28%). In the pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes, the initial treatment rate was 83.48%, and the retreatment rate was 16.52%, similar to the rates in pulmonary TB patients without diabetes. The success treatment rate was 92.90% in the pulmonary TB patients with diabetes and 96.09% in the pulmonary TB patients without tuberculosis (χ²=38.661, P<0.001). The average annual registration rates of pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes in the eastern Inner Mongolia, Alxa in western Inner Mongolia and Ulanqab in central Inner Mongolia were at high levels, while the rates in Bayannur and Wuhai in the western Inner Mongolia were at low levels.

  Conclusion   From 2018 to 2020, the number and registration rate of pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes in Inner Mongolia showed increasing trends, and the proportion of the pulmonary TB patients complicated with diabetes in total pulmonary TB patients showed an increasing trend too. Different prevention and control measures should be taken for the prevention and control of pulmonary TB in special population.