title: Is screening for diabetes among tuberculosis patients feasible at the field level?
abstract: METHODS
  Seventeen peripheral health institutions (PHI) in Kolar district (population: 0.5 million), South India.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the feasibility and results of screening patients with tuberculosis (TB) for diabetes mellitus (DM) at peripheral level.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January to September 2012, all TB patients were assessed for DM. Those with unknown DM status were screened for the disease (free of charge) by trained laboratory technicians at each PHI, using a glucometer supplied by the national programme on a capillary blood sample. Those with fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥ 126 mg/dl (≥7 mM) were diagnosed as DM-positive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 362 TB patients, 358 (99%) were assessed for DM and 62 (17.1%) had the diseases-53 (14.6%) had a previous history of DM and 9 (2.9%) were newly diagnosed. All new DM patients were enrolled into DM care. Higher DM prevalence was found among TB patients aged ≥40 years, smokers and those with smear-positive pulmonary TB. To detect a new case of DM, the number needed to screen (NNS) among TB patients was 40.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Screening of TB patients for DM was feasible and effective in a peripheral setting. The availability of trained laboratory technicians and free services at every PHI made the intervention feasible. The study has contributed towards a national policy decision in this regard.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Country Office for India, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), South-East Asia Office, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: A M V
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), South-East Asia Office, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Satyanarayana
authors.affiliation: State Tuberculosis Centre, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Suryakant
authors.affiliation: District Tuberculosis Centre, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, Kolar, India.
authors.forename: N M V
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Swamy
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization Country Office for India, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Médecins Sans Frontières, Mumbai, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Isaakidis
authors.affiliation: The Union, Paris, France ; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Harries
keywords: India; diabetes mellitus; operational research; screening; tuberculosis