Glycemic control in tuberculosis: Lessons learned from Taiwan

The global epidemic of diabetes and tuberculosis poses challenges to the control of both diseases. Patients with tuberculosis and diabetes experience worse clinical manifestations, increased risk of treatment failure, recurrence, and death. Diabetes is also associated with risk for latent tuberculosis infection. Management of hyperglycemia reduces the risk and improves the outcome of tuberculosis in diabetic patients. Recent epidemiological studies from Taiwan have provided new and important information on the benefits of metformin in tuberculosis. When addressing the issue of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a shortened anti-tuberculous therapeutic regime seems a feasible approach for better cure rates, with less loss-to-follow.