Smoking increase the risk of tuberculosis

The harmful influence of smoking on our organism is well known, but new studies show that it can double your chances of catching active tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a germ, spread through the air, that usually affects the lungs. About one in ten of those infected with the germ gets active tuberculosis. If left untreated, active tuberculosis kills more than half of those infected. A new study regarding tuberculosis in Taiwan compared the likelihood of developing active tuberculosis among former and current smokers and non-smokers. It found that those who had smoked in the past had 2.69 times the risk of developing active tuberculosis compared to those that had never smoked, while current smokers had 2.73 times the risk.

The study also found that younger smokers were more likely than smokers older than 65 to develop active tuberculosis when compared to those who had never smoked.

According to one of the authors of the research this is the first study that provides evidence on the positive association between tobacco smoking and active tuberculosis. Based on results from ours and other studies, policy makers and public health personnel should consider addressing tobacco cessation as part of tuberculosis control. From the perspective of prevention, the target of smoking cessation should aim beyond tuberculosis patients to reach high-risk populations who are most likely to benefit from cessation.