TY  - JOUR
T1  - TUberculosis and drug dependence-reply
AU  - Reichman LB
Y1  - 1979/11/01
N1  - 10.1001/archinte.1979.03630480089033
JO  - Archives of Internal Medicine
SP  - 1317
EP  - 1317
VL  - 139
IS  - 11
N2  - In Reply.— 
    I think the author of this communication is misinterpreting the data of our report and several others that he alludes to, and is perhaps confusing tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease. It is well accepted that tuberculosis infection is greater in high-contact groups. We have recently shown correlations to race, socioeconomic status, age, and sex, in that order.1What our recent communication in the March Archives showed is that the infection rate appears to be similar in both drug-dependent and non-drug-dependent populations, but the disease rate is severalfold greater in drug-dependent persons. Consequently, this is the first evidence that drug dependency is a risk factor beyond race and socioeconomic factors and should be categorized with and treated like diabetes, gastrectomy, steroid treatment, immunosuppressive treatment, and silicosis with preventive therapy with isoniazid.In our report, we also go on to suggest that the primary condition, drug dependency, can provide
SN  - 0003-9926
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archinte.1979.03630480089033
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1979.03630480089033
ER  -