Influence of alcohol and illicit drug use on the clinical evolution of tuberculosis

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21727/rpu.v17i1.5523

Abstract

Introduction: Infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis stands out as an important cause of death by a single etiological agent, especially among vulnerable populations. Objective: to analyze the influence of alcohol and illicit drug use on the clinical evolution of tuberculosis (TB). Materials and Method: integrative literature review using the PVO method to formulate the question - "What is the influence of alcohol and illicit drug use on the clinical evolution of patients with TB?". The question was prepared based on the Health Science Descriptors (DeCS), Medical Subject Headings (MESH) and Embase Subject Heading (Emtree), which combined using the Boolean operators AND and OR constituted the search expression in the fields by title, abstract and keywords in the PubMed, LILACS, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus databases. Full-text articles, primary, in Portuguese, English or Spanish, from 2014 to 2024 were considered. Results: 48 articles were selected for full reading and analysis. Discussion: Most of them addressed the influence of alcohol or illicit drug use on treatment adherence, contributing to loss of follow-up, death from TB, longer culture conversion time, higher percentage of lung involvement and development of antimicrobial resistance, especially among those with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or smokers. Final considerations: substance use contributes not only to the perpetuation of the transmission chain, but also to unfavorable outcomes that could be avoided, interfering with the effectiveness of health surveillance actions.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Alcoholism; Illicit drugs; Treatment Outcome; Epidemiology.

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Author Biographies

Mariana Bobato Pulgatti, Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR)

Discente (Gradução em Medicina) Universidade Federal de Rondônia - UNIR, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil. 

Rafaele Oliveira Bonfim, Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

Doutoranda (Programa de Pós-Graduação Enfermagem em Saúde Pública)  Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (USP),  Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil. 

Rebeca Sousa Braga, Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

Doutoranda (Programa de Pós-Graduação Enfermagem em Saúde Pública)  Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (USP),  Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil. 

Arlindo Gonzaga Branco Junior, Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR)

Docente do Curso de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Rondônia – UNIR, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil. 

Nathalia Halax Orfão, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)

Docente do Departamento de Saúde Coletiva da Escola Paulista de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. 

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Published

2026-04-30

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): Revista Pró-UniverSUS V 17 N 1

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Mariana Bobato Pulgatti, Rafaele Oliveira Bonfim, Rebeca Sousa Braga, Arlindo Gonzaga Branco Junior, Nathalia Halax Orfão

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