Nutrition, Diabetes and Tuberculosis in the Epidemiological Transition
2011

Nutrition, Diabetes, and Tuberculosis in India and Korea

publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Christopher Dye, Bernadette Bourdin Trunz, Knut Lönnroth, Gojka Roglic, Brian G. Williams

Primary Institution: World Health Organization

Hypothesis

How will tuberculosis incidence change as countries undergo epidemiological transitions with increasing diabetes prevalence and changing BMI?

Conclusion

Nutritional and demographic changes had stronger adverse effects on tuberculosis in high-incidence India than in lower-incidence Korea.

Supporting Evidence

  • In India, TB cases increased by 28% from 1998 to 2008 due to rising diabetes and changing BMI.
  • In Korea, TB cases increased by only 6% during the same period, aided by stable diabetes prevalence.
  • Urbanization in India raised TB incidence due to higher transmission rates in cities.
  • The prevalence of diabetes in India rose from 3.0% to 3.7% between 1998 and 2008.

Takeaway

This study looks at how changes in diet and health affect tuberculosis rates in India and Korea. In India, more diabetes and changes in body weight are making TB worse, while Korea is seeing improvements.

Methodology

Data on BMI, diabetes prevalence, and population age structure were compiled and analyzed for India and Korea to calculate expected changes in TB incidence from 1998 to 2008.

Potential Biases

Potential biases due to differences in survey methods and data collection.

Limitations

Data quality varied between India and Korea, and the analysis was limited to these two countries.

Participant Demographics

Adult populations in India and Korea, with a focus on age, sex, and urban/rural living conditions.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CL

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0021161

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