Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Jagadeesh, Varshini; Chikkahonnaiah, Prashanth; Dubey, Muskan; Byrappa, Shashidhar H.; Sridhar, Hari Balaji; Amachawadi, Raghavendra G.; Veeranna, Ravindra P.

doi:10.3390/tropicalmed10090247

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Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

by

Varshini Jagadeesh

¹,

Prashanth Chikkahonnaiah

¹,

Muskan Dubey

²,

Shashidhar H. Byrappa

³,

Hari Balaji Sridhar

⁴,

Raghavendra G. Amachawadi

^4,*

and

Ravindra P. Veeranna

^2,*

¹

Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysuru 570001, Karnataka, India

²

Xavier University School of Medicine, Xavier University School of Veterinary Medicine, Santa Helenastraat #23, Oranjestad, Aruba

³

Department of Pathology, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysuru 570001, Karnataka, India

⁴

Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(9), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10090247

Submission received: 25 June 2025 / Revised: 25 August 2025 / Accepted: 27 August 2025 / Published: 29 August 2025

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Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with an estimated 10.8 million new cases reported in 2023, of which India alone accounted for 28% of the global burden. This study aims to evaluate the impact of tuberculosis on pulmonary function and exercise tolerance, and to examine how these impairments affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In a cross-sectional design, 96 bacteriologically confirmed TB patients and 96 age- and sex-matched community controls underwent spirometry, six-minute-walk test (6 MWT), and HRQoL evaluation. DR-TB was detected in 27 patients (28.1%): Isoniazid monoresistance 59.3%, rifampicin monoresistance 11.1%, and XDR-TB 29.6%. Dyspnoea (70.8%) and cough (37.5%) were the most commonly reported symptoms among TB patients. Mean values of FEV₁, FVC, and FEV₁/FVC were significantly lower in TB patients compared to controls (62.8%, 65.97%, and 70.08% vs. 82.55%, 80.09%, and 78.08%, respectively; p < 0.001). Recurrent or DR-TB was associated with reduced spirometric indices and 6 MWT distances (241 m vs. 358 m in drug-sensitive TB). St. George’s respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) scores indicated significantly poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients compared to controls across all domains—symptoms (23.7 vs. 10.7), activity (33.3 vs. 14.2), and impact (20.6 vs. 9.4; p < 0.05). SGRQ scores were inversely correlated with lung function parameters (r = −0.42 to −0.56). These findings underscore the persistent health burden TB poses post-therapy, highlighting the need for routine post-TB functional screening and robust DR-TB control to achieve End-TB goals.

Keywords: tuberculosis; quality of life; drug-resistant tuberculosis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jagadeesh, V.; Chikkahonnaiah, P.; Dubey, M.; Byrappa, S.H.; Sridhar, H.B.; Amachawadi, R.G.; Veeranna, R.P. Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10, 247. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10090247

AMA Style

Jagadeesh V, Chikkahonnaiah P, Dubey M, Byrappa SH, Sridhar HB, Amachawadi RG, Veeranna RP. Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2025; 10(9):247. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10090247

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jagadeesh, Varshini, Prashanth Chikkahonnaiah, Muskan Dubey, Shashidhar H. Byrappa, Hari Balaji Sridhar, Raghavendra G. Amachawadi, and Ravindra P. Veeranna. 2025. "Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 10, no. 9: 247. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10090247

APA Style

Jagadeesh, V., Chikkahonnaiah, P., Dubey, M., Byrappa, S. H., Sridhar, H. B., Amachawadi, R. G., & Veeranna, R. P. (2025). Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 10(9), 247. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10090247

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Impaired Lung Function and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

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