RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus are diseases that are commonly found together with adverse mutual effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and association between tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus among TB patients hospitalized at the Institute of Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis, Clinical Center of Serbia over the three-year period: 2000-2002. RESULTS: Among the tuberculous patients the average incidence of diabetes mellitus over the analyzed period was 9.8%. Most of the patients were above 55 years of age (52.8%), followed by 41.6% of middle aged (30-55 years) patients, while only a small number of patients (6.5%) belonged to the young population group (below 30). Males (64%) were more frequently affected than females (36%). Significant number of patients (61%) had a severe form of diabetes mellitus with frequent glycoregulation disorders necessitating either short-term or permanent insulin therapy. Analysis of clinical forms of tuberculosis at the time of detection revealed that 50% of patients had a moderately disseminated form of the disease with bilateral changes while the other 50% had a disseminated form. The average bacillarity was 56%. Radiological findings of tuberculosis in diabetics was manifested atypically in the lower pulmonary fields with bronchopneumonic shadows found in 11.1% of patients. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis presents with changed clinical and radiological pictures in considerable number of diabetics, particularly elderly ones, resembling other unspecific lung diseases and thus it may cause differential-diagnostic dilemmas and delayed detection.