In reply

摘要

Dr Rastegar correctly noted that smoking has been associated with tuberculosis in countries other than the United States and that smoking is more prevalent among persons with substance abuse disorders than the general population. To our knowledge, the association between smpking and tuberculosis has not been confirmed in the United States in population-based studies. Nevertheless, we agree that such an association is likely and deserves investigation. Unfortunately, we were not able to include smoking in our current analysis because data on smoking behaviors are not captured by the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smoking and substance abuse are important public health issues that are worthy of greater attention from the field of tuberculosis control. Tuberculosis control programs should consider documenting the smoking status of all patients, educating patients about the association between tuberculosis and smoking, and ensuring that patients who smoke have access to cessation services.1'3