Diabetes sufferers three-times more likely to develop tuberculosis
Health experts believe the risk of developing tuberculosis is three times higher for people who have diabetes than people who do not.
This means many diabetes patients also need to be treated for TB.
Experts from 19 Pacific nations and territories met recently in Palau to discuss the convergance of the two diseases.
They are now calling for a greater commitment from Pacific nations in how they care for people with both diseases and what to do to prevent them.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Acting TB adviser, Kerri Viney says lifestyle changes are largely to blame for the increase in diabetes in the last 100 years.
"We're not as active, we're sedentary, and nutrition has changed significantly, and consequently there's a large increase in overweight and obesity, and then these people often go on to develop diabetes," Ms Viney said.
Experts believe that as with diseases such as HIV, impaired immunity caused by diabetes can make a sufferer more susceptible to TB.
Ms Viney believes the rate of detection of TB cases has increased from about 63 per cent of cases in 2000 to about 77 per cent in the year 2010.
ABC Radio Australia
