Tuberculosis in Morocco: Disease duration, weight loss and malnutrition

Tuberculosis remains a serious challenge in public health worldwide. Changes in patients' delays in diagnosis and illness can complicate the disease. Understanding the factors affecting the delays is crucial to the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies.

The aim of our study is to analyze and identify the association between the duration of illness, weight status and changes in dietary habits of TB patients as well as addressing the importance of dietary habits in improving tuberculosis outcomes.

A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 480 tuberculosis patients.

The results revealed that the mean (SD) duration of the disease was 5.98 months (6.8), while the mean (SD) diagnostic duration was 3.35 months (6.01). Significant difference was observed in diagnostic duration between TB types (p = 0.018). Mean weight loss during the disease (SD) was 7.34 kg (5.21) with a significant difference between age groups (p < 0.001) and between TB types (p < 0.001). During the disease, patients lost an average of 1.72 kg/m² of their BMI (p < 0.001). Around 84 % of patients have changed their eating habits. Weight loss and changes in dietary habits were significantly associated with increased disease duration.

Changes in eating habits, marked by weight loss and reduction in patients' food intake significantly prolonged the disease's duration. Healthcare professionals are called to be aware of the impact of eating habits on the progression and duration of tuberculosis, and to encourage their patients to adopt healthy eating practices.