Prevalence of Tuberculosis in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Grant number: 24/23013-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Ligia Yukie Sassaki
• Grantee: Maria Eduarda da Costa Mangialardo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), represented by Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), is a chronic and relapsing pathology, with periods of remission and acute exacerbation. Tuberculosis (TB) is an endemic infectious disease in Brazil and is a serious public health problem. According to the WHO, Brazil is among the 30 countries with the highest TB burden. In general, risk factors for opportunistic infections in patients with IBD include malnutrition, advanced age, congenital immunodeficiency, HIV, chronic diseases, diabetes mellitus, and use of immunosuppressants. Therefore, the risk of active tuberculosis is high in Brazil, but little is known about the frequency of latent or active TB in patients with IBD and its relationship with immunosuppressive therapy. Thus, the study will evaluate the prevalence of latent and active TB in patients with IBD, in addition to analyzing sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with TB positivity and the clinical characteristics of active tuberculosis in these patients. Methodology: A retrospective study will be carried out with data collection from the medical records of patients undergoing outpatient follow-up for IBD at HC-FMB. Patients diagnosed with IBD will be included and patients without TB screening tests will be excluded. The sample size will be for convenience with the inclusion of at least 200 patients, with information collected according to a data collection protocol that includes clinical data on the disease and screening for latent and active TB, in addition to sociodemographic data. Expected results: It is expected to find a high frequency of tuberculosis in patients undergoing follow-up for IBD and that the main risk factor for active tuberculosis is the use of immunosuppressive drugs such as biological therapy.