Tuberculosis and tobacco: is there any epidemiological association?

Tobacco smoking has been suspected to be a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) for more than a century, but only recently has consistent epidemiological evidence between tobacco and TB been established [1, 2]. Smokers are more likely to be infected with TB, progress to active disease and die from TB [3–5]. However, there are few worldwide studies regarding a dose–response relationship between the number of smoked cigarettes per day (CPD) and TB risk. Excessive tobacco consumption in men (20 or more cigarettes per day) is a risk factor for tuberculosis