Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in post-coronavirus disease patients

Abstract

Context
Post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease patients are immunocompromised, especially those who have a history of hospitalization during the COVID time and steroid use during hospitalization. Such patients are very susceptible to opportunistic infections and must be assessed proactively.


Patients and methods
This was a cross-sectional study on 125 post-COVID-19-positive patients 28 days after being COVID negative confirmed by an RT-PCR test. Sputum/bronchoalveolar lavage samples were taken for analysis.


Statistical analysis used
SPSS, version 20.0 was used for the analysis. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.


Results
Out of 119 sputum samples assessed, 15 were AFB positive, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was detected in 16 patients by the GeneXpert assay, out of which 15 were sensitive to rifampicin and one was resistant. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in nine patients where two were found AFB-positive, and MTB was detected in two patients by the GeneXpert, out of which one was rifampicin sensitive and one was rifampicin resistant.


Conclusions
A significant portion of the world population has latent tuberculosis (TB) infection, and the COVID-19 disease may have led to an increase in the incidence of active TB. A proactive approach is needed for the diagnosis of TB and to control the spread of TB.