Background:Despite significant progress in fighting against tuberculosis(TB), the global healthcare sector is still facing new challenges in phthisiology.We observe the modification and adjustment of TB to new realities by finding comorbidities that facilitate its being one of the leading infectious causes of death worldwide.

Purpose of the study:To analyze the impact of comorbidity on the severity of TB clinical course and its diagnosis.

Materials and Methods:Medical records of 24 patients with TB and diabetes mellitus(DM) against the background of COVID-19 were studied.The clinical course and treatment efficacy were analyzed depending on the timeliness of comorbidity detection and treatment patterns.

Results of the study:The average patients? age was 45±11.2 years.There were 33.3% of women and 66.7% of men.In all the patients, DM was confirmed, and TB was diagnosed according to the GeneXpert-test and BACTEC.The level of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) was 7.3%;blood sugar level ranged between 3.6-12.0 mmol/l.In addition, all the patients screened for COVID-19 using a PCR test were tested positive.A total of 45.8% of patients who started treatment of TB and DM had an asymptomatic course of COVID-19;in 16.7% of cases, a mild course of COVID-19 was observed;37.5% of patients received only COVID-19 monotherapy as TB was not diagnosed.Among cases of untreated TB, a severe clinical course was observed in 100% of cases, with the prolongation of treatment of both infectious conditions and a deterioration in its efficacy.A total of 36.4% of severe cases were fatal.

Conclusions:Timely diagnosis and treatment of TB in patients with COVID-19 allows for preventing severe clinical course,lethal outcomes.