title: [Association between tobacco smoking and pulmonary tuberculosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Numerous studies evaluate the influence of tobacco smoking on the tuberculosis (TB) development, with the results indicating that smoking can be also considered as important risk factor in TB. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of tobacco smoking as the risk factor in the development of TB as well as in its clinical course.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from the medical records of 192 consecutively hospitalized TB patients (124 males and 68 females) in the Institute of Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade in the period from 2005 to 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the analyzed TB patients there were more smokers (63.5%) than nonsmokers (36.5%). The majority of the smokers (73.8%) belonged to a middle age group (35-54 years) while the majority of nonsmokers (64.3%) were older than 55 years. Sex ratio among the smokers showed the domination of males (80.3%). There were significantly more males in the smoking group and more females in the nonsmoking group (chi2 = 34.402, p < 0.0001). Most smokers (68.9%) smoked more than 20 cigarettes daily. The average index of pack/years among all of the examinated patients was 32.75 +/- 18.26. Cavitary pulmonary lesions were more frequently verified in the smokers (64.2%) than in the nonsmokers (35.8%). The sputum acid-fast bacillus smear-positive finding was more frequent in the smokers (78%) than in the nonsmokers (22%). The nonsmoking TB patients had more accompanied immunodeficient diseases (34%) than the smoking ones (19%). Body-mass index was lower in the smokers (21.75) than in the nonsmokers (23.80), although this difference did not reach the statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are more smokers than nonsmokers in TB patients. Smokers more frequently have cavitary forms of TB with sputum acid-fast bacillus smear--positive finding than nonsmokers.
authors: Klinicki centar Srbihe, Beograd, Srbija. vesna.skodric@kcs.ac.yu
authors: Vesna Skodrić
authors: VS
authors: Trifunović
authors: Branislav S
authors: BS
authors: Gvozdenović
authors: Dragana
authors: D
authors: Jovanovic
authors: Violeta
authors: V
authors: Vucinić
authors: Dugan
authors: D
authors: Djurić
authors: Miodrag
authors: M
authors: Zunić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology