Study from Tamil Nadu looks into how Covid-19 affects TB patients

According to a research by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, there is no discernible difference in the course of treatment or symptoms between those with tuberculosis (TB) and those with Covid-19 infection. The research also found that areas with high TB infection rates and high rates of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination coverage had reduced incidences of Covid-19.

According to a study that was recently published in the Tamil Nadu Journal of Public Health and Medical Research’s special edition on tuberculosis, the symptoms of Covid-19 are a lot like those of tuberculosis (TB). Both illnesses mainly affect the respiratory system and are spread by aerosol droplets from an infected person to a healthy person.

From February to April of 2021, the researchers collected 384 sputum samples that tested positive for tuberculosis and kept them at the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR-NIRT), located in Chennai. There were 296 males and 88 women among the 384 patients. 22 out of the 384 TB patients with bacteriological confirmation had positive SARS-CoV2 tests. The research examined the pre-treatment characteristics and treatment results for both co-infected and just TB groups.

There are no appreciable variations in treatment results or clinical features between the two groups in the few instances of TB-Covid-19 co-infection. The authors noted that this data motivates more investigation into the immunological response and pathophysiology of Covid-19.

“More research is needed to confirm the impact of Covid-19 infection in confirmed TB cases, especially with the BCG vaccination program in place to combat the high rate of TB cases in the nation,” they said.

“More structured and planned study with focused objectives is needed to understand the association between these two diseases that have some similarities in risk factors, primary organ affected, and mortality,” an epidemiologist stated in response to the study.