Unhealthy Alcohol Use Independently Associated with Unfavorable TB Treatment Outcomes Among Indian Men

Approximately 10% of incident TB cases worldwide are attributable to alcohol. However, evidence associating alcohol with unfavorable TB treatment outcomes is weak. We prospectively evaluated men (≥18 years) with pulmonary TB in India for up to 24 months to investigate the association between alcohol use and treatment outcomes. Unhealthy alcohol use was defined as a score of ≥4 on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C) scale at entry. Unfavorable TB treatment outcomes included failure, recurrence, and all-cause mortality, analyzed as composite and independent endpoints. Among 751 men, we identified unhealthy alcohol use in 302 (40%). Median age was 39 years (IQR 28-50); 415 (55%) were underweight (defined as a body mass index [BMI] <18.5 kg/m²); and 198 (26%) experienced an unfavorable outcome. Unhealthy alcohol use was an independent risk factor for the composite unfavorable outcome (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 1.47, 95% CI 1.05-2.06; = 0.03) and death (aIRR 1.90, 95% CI 1.08-3.34; = 0.03), specifically. We found significant interaction between AUDIT-C and BMI; underweight men with unhealthy alcohol use had increased risk of unfavorable outcomes (aIRR 2.22, 95% CI 1.44-3.44; < 0.001) compared to men with BMI ≥18.5 kg/m² and AUDIT-C <4. Unhealthy alcohol use was independently associated with unfavorable TB treatment outcomes, highlighting the need for integrating effective alcohol interventions into TB care.