The association between smoking and pulmonary tuberculosis

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases. However, it is also a significant risk factor for death from communicable (infectious) diseases.

According to WHO, worldwide, about a quarter of people are infected with the Koch bacillus responsible for tuberculosis.

This bacillus can remain in a latent (or dormant) state, or multiply and result in a disease, tuberculosis. Tobacco consumption promotes this transition from the latent state to tuberculosis disease and 26% of deaths due to tuberculosis are attributable to tobacco.

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from an infectious agent worldwide and is the 6th leading cause of death worldwide, killing 1.8 million people in 2015.[1]. Tuberculosis incidence could decrease by 20%[2]-[3] if the tobacco epidemic were treated.

Many studies[4]-[5] show that both active and passive exposure to tobacco smoke are associated with the occurrence of tuberculosis infection and the transition from latent infection to tuberculosis disease. Smoking affects the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis. Finally, smoking has been associated with both tuberculosis relapse and mortality. Overall, smoking is causally associated with the occurrence of tuberculosis, increased human-to-human transmission, and severity. All smoking patients with tuberculosis should receive motivational support and assistance to quit smoking.