Alcohol consumption and pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

A study to analyze the association between alcohol consumption and pulmonary tuberculosis was made using the casecontrol method. Each given case (patient with pulmonary tuberculosis) was matched with a control (patient without pulmonary tuberculosis) regarding, sex, origin (residence), and marital status. Four hundred and twenty-seven cases and their controls were interviewed and information was gathered on the risk factors involved. The conclusions were: there is association between alcohol consumption and pulmonary tuberculosis; when drinking was excessive less that two years before diagnosis of the disease, association was stronger, association between mild drinking (dependent drinkers) was greater from two to four years preceeding diagnosis.