Diabetes makes people more vulnerable to TB, study says

"With an estimated 171 million people afflicted with diabetes, a figure which is expected to double by year 2030, it is clear that [diabetes] constitutes a substantial contributor to the current and future burdens of TB globally," epidemiologist Megan Murray, who conducted the research with Harvard colleague Christie Jeon, said by e-mail from Rwanda.

TB kills about 1.7 million people a year, according to the World Health Organization. By region, Asia has the most cases of TB while Africa has the highest rates.

The findings indicate global TB control efforts might benefit from giving extra attention to diabetics when dealing with people with latent TB infections, the researchers said.

"Those areas most affected are those in which the burden of [diabetes] is high and TB is still active. Those would include India, areas of Latin America where [diabetes] rates are high, and specific populations such as some Native American populations in the U.S. which experience high [diabetes] and TB incidence," Ms. Murray added.

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