[Tobacco smoking and latent tuberculous infection]

Abstract

Tobacco smoking has a significant impact on the risk of tuberculosis and the mortality of the disease. There is a strong dose-response relationship both in terms of quantity and duration of smoking. Latent tuberculous infection and tuberculosis disease are different stages of the same infectious process but the relation between smoking and the risk of being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is less well understood. The aim of this review is to describe the relationship between tobacco consumption and tuberculous infection and the mechanism by which smoking increases the risk. It outlines the public health consequences of the increased risk of latent tuberculous infection due to active and passive smoking. This justifies promotion of smoking cessation as a way of limiting the epidemic of tuberculosis in developing countries.