Effect of glycemic control on sputum conversion at the end of intensive phase of category dots therapy among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

India is an endemic country of Tuberculosis and diabetic capital of the world. Diabetes is a known risk factor for the development of Tuberculosis. Present study attempts to compare the mean HbA1c level among the patients with category I Pulmonary tuberculosis at the end of intensive phase of DOTS therapy with or without sputum conversion. The design adopted was cross sectional study and the setting was Designated Microscopy centers in Thiruvananthapuram district. The population included all newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients of more than 18 years of age; receiving category I DOTS therapy in Thiruvananthapuram. The data was collected from 120 participants. All the newly enrolled DOTS recipients (category I) were assessed for their glycemic status using Glucosylated heamoglobin (HbA1c) at the end of intensive phase and sputum examination were done on routine basis at the Designated Microscopic centers. Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) was taken as the proxy measure to estimate the glycemic control in Diabetes patients. Individuals with HbA1C <7% were categorized as having good control and those with HbA1c >7% as poor glycemic control. The result showed there is significant difference in mean HbA1c levels across groups (6.5 versus 8.8) with and without sputum conversion at the end of intensive phase of DOTS therapy. The study concludes that the adequate glycemic control is the major determinant in the conversion of sputum in patients with diabetes. Study also reveal that that those with poor glycemic control are 5.96 times more chance of remaining sputum positive at the end of intensive phase of DOTS therapy than the patients with good glycemic control.