Male predominance in active tuberculosis (TB) is widely-reported globally. Gender inequalities in socio-cultural status are frequently regarded as contributing factors for disparities in sex in active TB. The disparities of sex in the prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) are less frequently investigated and deserve clarification. In this cross-sectional study conducted in a TB endemic area, we enrolled patients at high-risk for LTBI and progression from LTBI to active TB from 2011 to 2012. Diagnosis of LTBI was made by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT). Differences in sex in terms of prevalence of LTBI and clinical predictors for LTBI were investigated. Associations among age, smoking status, and sex disparities in LTBI were also analyzed. A total of 1018 high-risk individuals with definite QFT-GIT results were included for analysis, including 534 males and 484 females. The proportion of LTBI was significantly higher in males than in females (32.6% vs. 25.2%, p = 0.010). Differences in the proportion of LTBI between sexes were most prominent in older patients (age ≥55 years). In multivariate analysis, independent clinical factors associated with LTBI were age (p = 0.014), smoking (p = 0.048), and fibro-calcified lesions on chest radiogram (p = 0.009). Male sex was not an independent factor for LTBI (p = 0.88). When stratifying patients according to the smoking status, the proportion of LTBI remained comparable between sexes among smokers and non-smokers. In conclusion, although the proportion of LTBI is higher in men, there is no significant disparity in terms of sex in LTBI among high-risk individuals after adjusting for age, smoking status, and other clinical factors.

Available evidence shows that metabolic syndrome (Mets) has clear adverse effects for middle-aged and pre-elderly adults; however, the effect of Mets on mortality among elderly adults remains unclear. In addition, the comparative utility of Mets and its component for predicting mortality among the elderly has not been clearly established. Using data from a large Taiwanese cohort, we evaluated the effect of Mets and its components on subsequent all-cause and cause-specific mortality overtime among the elderly.A total of 73,547 elders (age ≥65 years) participated in the Taipei Elderly Health Examination Program from 2007 to 2010. Mets was diagnosed using the adult treatment panel III criteria, and mortality was ascertained by using national death records. Time-dependent analysis was used to evaluate associations of Mets and its components with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and expanded CVD mortality.This retrospective cohort study found that 42.6% of elders had Mets. During 194,057 person-years of follow-up, 2944 deaths were observed. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities, Mets was associated with increased risk of expanded CVD mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% CI, 1.10–1.46) but not all-cause or CVD mortality. Among Mets components, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.13–1.37) and hyperglycemia (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.12–1.31) were associated with a significant increase in all-cause mortality. Hypertension and low HDL-C were predictors of CVD mortality and expanded CVD mortality, and, as compared with Mets, were associated with a higher risk of expanded CVD mortality.The present findings indicate that, in elderly adults, individual components of Mets are better predictors of all-cause and cause-specific mortality than is Mets as a whole. Our results suggest that future efforts should focus on preventing and managing individual risk factors (particularly hypertension, low HDL-C, and hyperglycemia) rather than on “diagnosing” Mets in elders.