Abstract:

Globally, tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading causes of death due to a single infectious agent. The main comorbidities and health-related risk factors of TB include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), disorders due to the use of alcohol, undernutrition, tobacco smoking, diabetes mellitus, mental disorders, silicosis and viral hepatitis. Tacking both health-related risk factors and comorbidities among people with TB is essential for ending the TB epidemic. To achieve this, a well-rounded patient care approach is preferable to just targeting the disease alone. Substantial effort and global commitment are needed to achieve this collaboratively. Therefore, World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a framework for collaborative action on tuberculosis and comorbidities. The framework is organized into five sections, each of which lists key activities for scaling up joint efforts on TB and comorbidities. To know the contents of this document timely, we interpret the key points of the framework, key comorbidities and action principles to provide a reference for professionals.

Key words: World Health Organization, Tuberculosis, Comorbidity, Cooperative behavior