On March 24, the world observes the World Tuberculosis Day, an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of one of the most serious and widespread infectious diseases globally. On this occasion, it is essential to highlight an often-overlooked but crucial factor in the fight against tuberculosis: the role of tobacco smoking.
Tobacco use is a major risk factor for developing tuberculosis. Smokers are more susceptible to both the initial infection and the progression to the active form of the disease. Smoking weakens the immune system, damages the lungs, and hampers the body’s ability to defend itself against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.
Smokers are more likely to experience severe symptoms, take longer to recover, and respond less effectively to treatment. They are also at higher risk for complications and death.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one-fifth of tuberculosis cases worldwide are directly linked to tobacco use. This issue is even more concerning in low-resource countries, where both tuberculosis and smoking are highly prevalent. In these regions, the combination of the two conditions poses a complex challenge for healthcare systems and significantly hinders efforts to eliminate the disease.
“To effectively tackle tuberculosis, it is essential to incorporate tobacco control and smoking cessation support into national health policies. Quitting smoking not only helps patients recover more easily but also reduces the risk of reinfection and limits permanent damage to the respiratory system,” explains Prof. Riccardo Polosa, CoEHAR Founder.
For this reason, CoEHAR has been promoting research and the dissemination of effective strategies to reduce the harm caused by tobacco consumption for years. As Polosa emphasizes: “Integrating smoking cessation programs with tuberculosis treatment pathways could be a game-changer in the fight against this disease.”
Investing in prevention also means boldly addressing modifiable risk factors, such as smoking. Only in this way, we can build a future free from tuberculosis.
