Gyawali, SanjayLópez-Cervantes, Juan PabloJõgi, Nils OskarMustafa, TehminaJohannessen, AneJanson, ChristerHolm, MathiasModig, LarsCramer, ChristineGíslason, ÞórarinnSvanes, CecilieShigdel, Rajesh2025-11-202025-11-202023-05-22Gyawali, S, López-Cervantes, J P, Jõgi, N O, Mustafa, T, Johannessen, A, Janson, C, Holm, M, Modig, L, Cramer, C, Gíslason, Þ, Svanes, C & Shigdel, R 2023, 'Previous tuberculosis infection associated with increased frequency of asthma and respiratory symptoms in a Nordic-Baltic multicentre population study', ERJ Open Research, vol. 9, no. 3, 00011-2023. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00011-20232312-054114755211870310ba9-8eeb-49d1-bf2a-f1a7d726b2e937228275PubMedCentral: PMC1020486385160605318unpaywall: 10.1183/23120541.00011-2023https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/7221Publisher Copyright: © 2023, European Respiratory Society. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) infection induces profound local and systemic, immunological and inflammatory changes that could influence the development of other respiratory diseases; however, the association between TB and asthma is only partly understood. Our objective was to study the association of TB with asthma and respiratory symptoms in a Nordic-Baltic population-based study. METHODS: We included data from the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study, in which information on general characteristics, TB infection, asthma and asthma-like symptoms were collected using standardised postal questionnaires. Asthma was defined based on asthma medication usage and/or asthma attacks 12 months prior to the study, and/or by a report of ≥three out of five respiratory symptoms in the last 12 months. Allergic/nonallergic asthma were defined as asthma with/without nasal allergy. The associations of TB with asthma outcomes were analysed using logistic regressions with adjustments for age, sex, smoking, body mass index and parental education. RESULTS: We included 8379 study participants aged 50-75 years, 61 of whom reported having had TB. In adjusted analyses, participants with a history of TB had higher odds of asthma (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.13-3.47). The associations were consistent for nonallergic asthma (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.16-4.07), but not for allergic asthma (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.53-2.71). CONCLUSION: We found that in a large Northern European population-based cohort, persons with a history of TB infection more frequently had asthma and asthma symptoms. We speculate that this may reflect long-term effects of TB, including direct damage to the airways and lungs, as well as inflammatory responses.632444eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessPulmonary and Respiratory MedicineSDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/researchoutputtypes/contributiontojournal/article10.1183/23120541.00011-2023