Tuberculosis increases the risk of peripheral arterial disease: A nationwide population‐based study

• DOI: 10.1111/resp.13117
• Publication Date: 2017-07-06T00:22:43Z
• Authors: Sheng‐Huei Wang; Wu‐Chien Chien; Chi‐Hsiang Chung; Fu‐Huang Lin; Chung‐Kan Peng; Chih‐Feng Chian; Chih‐Hao Shen
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Age Factors; Taiwan; Comorbidity; Middle Aged; Risk Assessment; 3. Good health; Peripheral Arterial Disease; 03 medical and health sciences; Sex Factors; 0302 clinical medicine; Socioeconomic Factors; Risk Factors; Humans; Tuberculosis; Female; Aged; Proportional Hazards Models; Retrospective Studies

ABSTRACTBackground and objectiveAccording to several studies, tuberculosis (TB) may be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between TB and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with TB exhibit an increased risk of developing PAD.MethodsThe data assessed in this national population‐based cohort study were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database from 2000 to 2010. Patients with newly diagnosed TB were selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD‐9‐CM) codes. The non‐TB cohort was randomly frequency‐matched to the TB cohort at a ratio of 2:1 according to age, sex and index year. Cox's proportional hazards regression models were used to analyse the risk of PAD.ResultsWe enrolled 14 350 patients with TB and 28 700 controls in this study. The risk of PAD was 3.93‐fold higher in the patients with TB than in the non‐TB controls after adjusting for age, sex, co‐morbidities and socio‐economic status. Based on the subgroup analysis, the TB cohort exhibited an increased risk of developing PAD compared with the non‐TB cohort, regardless of age, sex, co‐morbidities and socio‐economic status. Patients with TB had a higher risk of developing PAD than healthy control subjects after 1 year of follow‐up.ConclusionPatients with TB have a significantly higher risk of developing PAD than patients without TB. TB should be considered when evaluating a patient's risk of developing PAD.