Tuberculosis among drug addicts in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

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Abstract
The relation between drug addiction and tuberculosis was assessed in a comparative prevalence study. A group of 561 male addicts were compared with a group of 1532 non-addicts of similar sociocultural background. The results of infection rate showed a statistically significant difference X[2] = 72, P < 0.001] in the proportion of positive tuberculin sensitivity between the groups [66.7% among addicts versus 45.6% in the control group]. Fourteen active cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were found among the addicts with no case in the control group. This gives a prevalence rate of 2500/100 000 addicts, more than 150 times the rate in the general population. Thus, drug addicts are a high-risk group for tuberculosis and a "hidden source" of the disease in the communityCitation
Sadeghi Hassanabadi, A. & Yaghout, M. (1998). Tuberculosis among drug addicts in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. EMHJ - Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 4 (3), 567-570, 1998 https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/118485