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. 2023 Sep 19:11:1236099.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1236099. eCollection 2023.

Effects of underweight and overweight on mortality in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Jinsoo Min  1 , Ju Sang Kim  2 , Hyung Woo Kim  2 , Yousang Ko  3 , Jee Youn Oh  4 , Yun-Jeong Jeong  5 , Eun Hye Lee  6 , Bumhee Yang  7 , Ki Man Lee  7 , Joong Hyun Ahn  2 , Jin Woo Kim  8 , Yong Il Hwang  9 , Sung Soon Lee  10 , Jae Seuk Park  11 , Hyeon-Kyoung Koo  10
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Effects of underweight and overweight on mortality in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Jinsoo Min et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Poor nutrition increases disease severity and mortality in patients with tuberculosis (TB). There are gaps in our understanding of the effects of being underweight or overweight on TB in relation to sex.

Methods: We generated a nationwide TB registry database and assessed the effects of body mass index (BMI) on mortality in patients with pulmonary TB. The cause of death was further classified as TB-related or non-TB-related deaths. First, logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between BMI (a continuous variable) and mortality, and subgroup analyses of the multivariable logistic regression model were performed separately in male and female patients. Second, we categorized BMI into three groups: underweight, normal weight, and overweight, and assessed the impact of being underweight or overweight on mortality with reference to normal weight.

Results: Among 9,721 patients with pulmonary TB, the mean BMI was 21.3 ± 3.4; 1,927 (19.8%) were underweight, and 2,829 (29.1%) were overweight. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, mortality was significantly increased with the decrement of BMI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.893, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.875-0.911). In subgroup analyses, underweight patients had significantly higher odds of mortality, especially TB-related deaths (aOR = 2.057, 95% CI = 1.546-2.735). The association with mortality and male patients was higher (aOR = 2.078, 95% CI = 1.717-2.514), compared with female patients (aOR = 1.724, 95% CI = 1.332-2.231). Being overweight had a significant protective effect against TB-related death only in females (aOR = 0.500, 95% CI = 0.268-0.934), whereas its effect on non-TB-related death was observed only in males (aOR = 0.739, 95% CI = 0.587-0.930).

Conclusion: Being underweight was linked to high mortality, whereas being overweight had beneficial effects in patients with pulmonary TB.

Keywords: body mass index; death; mortality; nutrition; tuberculosis; undernutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of participant enrollment. TB, tuberculosis; PPM, public-private mix.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Presence of subtypes of mortality according to body mass index in pulmonary tuberculosis patients. (A) All-cause mortality and TB-related and non-TB-related deaths. (B) All-cause mortality stratified by sex. (C) TB-related death stratified by sex. (D) Non-TB-related death stratified by sex. TB, tuberculosis.
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Publication types

Grants and funding

The Public-Private Mix Tuberculosis Control Project was supported by the National Health Promotion Fund, funded by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Republic of Korea.
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