UTHealth researchers find diabetics at higher risk of
tuberculosis infection People with diabetes have a three to five
times higher risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) than non-
diabetics, according to researchers at The University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Results of the
study, which included 233 patients with TB who live in Texas and
Mexico along the border, are published in the May issue of the
Bulletin of the World Health Organization. It was funded by the
National Institutes of Health. "With the increase in diabetes
patients in TB-endemic areas, our findings highlight the re-
emerging impact of diabetes mellitus, known as type 2, on TB
control in regions of the world where both diseases are
prevalent," said Blanca Restrepo Ph.D., lead investigator and
associate professor of epidemiology at The University of Texas
School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus, a part of
UTHealth. "There is a need to focus on identifying the
opportunities to prevent TB in diabetes patients