The Journal of Infectious Diseases · Jun 12, 2026

People with prior tuberculosis have accelerated frailty and differential survival into older age: a cross-sectional analysis in Southern Africa

By Coleman M, Manyara A, Calderwood CJ et al.

Post-tuberculosis disability impairs quality-of-life, yet chronic functional outcomes for tuberculosis survivors remain under-characterized. This cross-sectional sub-study (2022-2024) estimated Fried frailty phenotype prevalence among adults aged ≥40 years with self-reported prior tuberculosis in South Africa and Zimbabwe, compared to those with no tuberculosis history. Survivor bias was evaluated using historic WHO data. After adjusting for age, sex, education, and HIV, prior tuberculosis was associated with twice the odds of frailty (OR=2.06, 95%CI 1.38-3.03, p=0.001), and worse survival into older age. As longevity increases in Southern Africa, healthy-ageing interventions for tuberculosis survivors could improve function and survival into older age.

doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiag299Open accessPubMed 42281267Populations