title: Does non-central nervous system tuberculosis increase the risk of ischemic stroke? A population-based propensity score-matched follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies on the association between tuberculosis and the risk of developing ischemic stroke have generated inconsistent results. We therefore performed a population-based, propensity score-matched longitudinal follow-up study to investigate whether contracting non-central nervous system (CNS) tuberculosis leads to an increased risk of ischemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a logistic regression model that includes age, sex, pre-existing comorbidities and socioeconomic status as covariates to compute the propensity score. A total of 5804 persons with at least three ambulatory visits in 2001 with the principal diagnosis of non-CNS tuberculosis were enrolled in the tuberculosis group. The non-tuberculosis group consisted of 5804, propensity score-matched subjects without tuberculosis. The three-year ischemic stroke-free survival rates for these 2 groups were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The stratified Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the effect of tuberculosis on the occurrence of ischemic stroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During three-year follow-up, 176 subjects in the tuberculosis group (3.0%) and 207 in the non-tuberculosis group (3.6%) had ischemic stroke. The hazard ratio for developing ischemic stroke in the tuberculosis group was 0.92 compared to the non-tuberculosis group (95% confidence interval: 0.73-1.14, P = 0.4299).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-CNS tuberculosis does not increase the risk of subsequent ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chueh-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Oral Hygiene, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Oral Hygiene, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Fang
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.affiliation: Department and Graduate Institute of Health Care Management, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yueh-Hsia
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Kainan University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Fann
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biostatistics Consultation, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Biostatistics, Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiu-Hsi
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shin-Liang
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057216:Propensity Score; D012306:Risk; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications*