title: 'Cough-triggered' tuberculosis screening among adults with diabetes in Tanzania.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetes increases the risk of tuberculosis and the prevalence of diabetes is rising in tuberculosis-endemic regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. Resource-appropriate strategies for tuberculosis case finding among African adults with diabetes are needed. The aims of this study were to determine prevalence of tuberculosis and evaluate one screening strategy among adult Tanzanians with diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective cohort study, we evaluated a 'cough-triggered' strategy for tuberculosis case finding among adults with diabetes at our zonal hospital in Tanzania. All adults with diabetes and cough underwent further tuberculosis symptom assessment, and those with productive cough had sputum collected for microscopy and Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between September 2011 and March 2012, 700 adults with diabetes attended our hospital. A total of 693 were enrolled, 121/693 (17.5%) had cough and 32/693 (4.6%) had at least two of the classic symptoms of tuberculosis. Of note, 87/121 (71.9%) of patients with cough could not produce sputum spontaneously. Nine patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis for a prevalence of 1299/100 000 (1.3%), sevenfold greater than the national average.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tuberculosis is common among Tanzanian adults with diabetes, but tuberculosis case finding is challenging because of the high prevalence of non-productive cough. This low-cost, 'cough-triggered' tuberculosis case-finding strategy may serve as a reasonable first step for improving tuberculosis screening among adults with diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Bugando Medical Centre and Weill Bugando School of Medicine, Mwanza, Tanzania.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mtwangambate
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kalluvya
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Kidenya
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kabangila
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Smart
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Peck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014944:World Health Organization