Diabetes Mellitus and Its Associated Factors in Tuberculosis Patients in Maekel Region, Eritrea: Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Eritrea. TB-DM comorbidity is known to complicate TB care, control and prevention. However, systematically studied epidemiological data on TB-DM comorbidity and its associated risk factors are lacking in this country. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of DM and its associated factors among TB patients in the Maekel region, Eritrea. METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in eleven TB diagnostic and treatment sites. Pretested data extraction tool was used to collect data from medical records. Prevalence data were analysed using frequencies, proportions and median. To determine DM risk factors, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was done with 95% CI and p value < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: Out of total eligible (1134) TB cases, DM prevalence was 9.88%. Age and BMI were identified as independent risk factors for DM among TB patients. Higher odds of DM were found among TB patients aged 45–54 (aOR: 4.85[1.39–16.94], p= 0.013) and those ≥55 (aOR: 6.99[2.12–23.04], p= 0.001). TB cases with normal BMI were two times more likely to have DM (aOR: 2.00[1.23–3.26], p= 0.005) compared to those underweight. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DM among TB cases observed in this study is high, a clarion call to scale up current efforts to integrate TB-DM services within routine care. Furthermore, age and BMI were identified as independent risk factors for DM in TB cases, pointing to the need to pay attention to age and BMI status when managing this co-morbidity.