Tuberculosis Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (TOPD): A Review

Although exposure to biomass is the major risk factor for COPD not associated with smoking, there are other associated factors such as history of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). PTB affects more than 9 million people and kills 1.5 million people each year. Prevalence of airflow obstruction varies from 28% to 68% of patients with PTB and the association occurs mainly with the COPD phenotype. Such infection is associated with airway fibrosis, and the immune response to mycobacteria can result in airway inflammation, which is characteristic of COPD. The degree of airflow obstruction is correlated with the extent of the disease. This review exposes the evidence of this association (TOPD), and some clinical, functional, anatomopathological and therapeutic aspects. At the end of the chapter, the interrelationship between PTB and COVID-19 is concisely explored.