Consultation meeting on tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus: meeting summary and recommendations

The steadily growing epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) poses a threat for global tuberculosis (TB) control. Previous studies have identified an important association between DM and TB. However, these studies have limitations: very few were carried out in low-income countries, and none in Africa, raising uncertainty about the strength of the DM-TB association in these settings, and many critical questions remain unanswered. As a result of these questions and uncertainties, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), the World Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization Stop TB Department undertook a series of consultations as of January 2009. A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken by the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health between May and August 2009, and a consultation meeting involving the experts who reviewed the report took place at The Union Headquarters in Paris on 6 and 7 November 2009. This paper constitutes a summary report of the findings, the research gaps and prioritised areas of research, and the recommendations from that meeting.