Globally, tobacco use and pulmonary tuberculosis have long been public health problems. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which leads to a decrease in the therapy effectiveness. The prevalence of smoking among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is also steadily increasing. Therefore, it is important to determine the relationship between tobacco smoking and the clinical course of tuberculosis infection.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the association of tobacco smoking with the main clinical forms and severity of pulmonary tuberculosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Medical records of patients in the phthisiology department of the Central Research Institute of Tuberculosis for the period from 2018 to 2020 were analyzed. The study group included 60 patients aged 18 years or older with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis, of whom 31 were smokers, and 29 had never smoked.

RESULTS

Tobacco smoking is associated with a more severe course of pulmonary tuberculosis requiring long-term intensive therapy. Smoking is significantly associated with fibrous-cavernous and other advanced types of pulmonary tuberculosis, and the bacterial excretion, which occur in smokers 5, 6.5 and 3.5 times more frequently, respectively, compared to nonsmokers. Smoking patients have been shown to have a statistically significant 3-fold higher incidence of comorbidities, which may cause a more severe course of pulmonary tuberculosis and challenge treatment. Tobacco smoking in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is accompanied by bronchial obstruction.

CONCLUSION

Thus, tobacco smoking is a significant factor associated with advanced clinical forms of pulmonary tuberculosis and a severe disease course.