Original researchHigh diabetes mellitus prevalence with increasing trend among newly-diagnosed tuberculosis patients in an Asian population: A nationwide population-based study

•The prevalence of DM among TB patients was high and increased in the past decade.•TB patients with older age were more likely to associate with DM.•TB patients with comorbidities were more likely to associate with DM.

AimsOur aims were to investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among patients with newly-diagnosed tuberculosis (TB) and to determine its associated factors in an Asian population.MethodsThe data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database and included 9831 newly-diagnosed TB individuals in the period of 2000-2010. The data were divided into a DM group and a non-DM group. We measured the prevalence and the associated comorbidities of DM.ResultsDuring 2000-2010, the prevalence of DM progressively increased, with an average prevalence rate of 27.9%. The patients with ages of 55-64 years had the highest association of DM (OR = 3.53) compared with those under 45 years. TB patients with heart failure, ischemic heart disease, cerebral vascular disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, and liver disease were more likely to associate with DM (ORs = 1.27, 1.23, 1.30, 2.32, 3.26, 1.6, and 1.68, respectively) compared to those without the variables.ConclusionsThe prevalence of DM among TB patients in Taiwan was high and tended to increase in the past decade. Clinically, inquiring about DM history and screening routinely for those without DM history among TB patients should be carried out in Taiwan.