Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Smoking: A cross-sectional study at a Tertiary Care Facility

Abstract

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the cause of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), a highly morbid disease that is linked to a number of co-morbid illnesses. Similar to other lung conditions, smoking is regarded as a major risk factor for tuberculosis in the lungs. Objective: To find out how common smoking is among pulmonary tuberculosis patients at Khyber Teaching Hospital's pulmonology department. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the pulmonology department of the Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar between March 17 and September 16, 2022. A non-probability consecutive sampling method was utilized to include in the study 157 patients, aged 15 to 70, who had pneumonia brought on by tuberculosis, regardless of gender. The trial was approved by the hospital ethical committee, and the patients who took part provided written informed permission. Each patient's information was entered into a well-organized proforma. The frequency of smoking among the patients was noted. Data was entered using SPSS 23. Results: 60.5% of the total 157 patients were men and 39.5% were women. The average age was 37.13 +/- 16. 3.3±1.1 weeks was the mean duration of tuberculosis. The average time spent smoking was 59.9 +/- 3.1 months. In 38.2% and 28% of the patients, accordingly, there was diabetes and hypertension. Among all patients, smokers made up 30.6%. Conclusion: Patients with pulmonary tuberculosis frequently smoke; of those with the disease, 30.6% are reported smokers. This highlights the necessity of smoking reduction initiatives as a component of tuberculosis treatment to enhance results. Comprehensive care also necessitates treating co-morbid illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.