title: The role of diabetes mellitus in the higher prevalence of tuberculosis among Hispanics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research studied the relative contribution of diabetes mellitus to the increased prevalence of tuberculosis in Hispanics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study was conducted involving all 5290 discharges from civilian hospitals in California during 1991 who had a diagnosis of tuberculosis, and 37,366 control subjects who had a primary discharge diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or acute appendicitis. Risk of tuberculosis was estimated as the odds ratio (OR) across race/ethnicity, with adjustment for other factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diabetes mellitus was found to be an independent risk factor for tuberculosis. The association of diabetes and tuberculosis was higher among Hispanics (adjusted OR [ORadj] = 2.95: 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.61, 3.33) than among non-Hispanic Whites (ORadj = 1.31: 95% CI = 1.19. 1.45): among non-Hispanic Blacks, diabetes was not found to be associated with tuberculosis (ORadj = 0.93: 95% CI = 0.78, 1.09). Among Hispanics aged 25 to 54, the estimated risk of tuberculosis attributable to diabetes (25.2%) was equivalent to that attributable to HIV infection (25.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetes mellitus remains a significant risk factor for tuberculosis in the United States. The association is especially notable in middle-aged Hispanics.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pablos-Méndez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blustein
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Knirsch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology