Skip to content
Medical Thesis Topics

MD · DNB

50 Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Thesis Topics

Academic session 2026-2027  · 50 topics

This page lists 50 tuberculosis and respiratory diseases thesis topics for MD and DNB candidates in India for the 2026-2027 academic session. This is a specialty defined by a single disease burden, and a thesis in it will almost always sit against the national programme, which shapes both what data exists and what a candidate can ethically access.

The tuberculosis and respiratory diseases thesis topics below are weighted towards tuberculosis — diagnosis, drug resistance, treatment outcome, adverse effects, adherence, comorbidity and contact tracing — with the remainder covering pleural disease, chronic airway disease and occupational lung conditions. All are workable at a district or teaching hospital with the investigations already in use.

Click any topic to open it in the protocol generator with the title already filled in.

  1. A cross-sectional study of the clinical and radiological presentation of patients newly registered for pulmonary tuberculosis treatmentGet protocol
  2. An observational study of the demographic and socioeconomic profile of patients registered for tuberculosis treatmentGet protocol
  3. A study of the delay from symptom onset to diagnosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  4. A cross-sectional study of the health seeking pathway followed by patients before tuberculosis diagnosisGet protocol
  5. An observational study of the presenting symptoms and their duration in patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  6. A comparative study of cartridge based nucleic acid amplification testing and sputum smear microscopy for tuberculosis diagnosisGet protocol
  7. An observational study of the diagnostic yield of sputum smear microscopy across specimen typesGet protocol
  8. A study of the diagnostic utility of chest radiography in patients with smear negative pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  9. A cross-sectional study of the diagnostic approach and yield in suspected extrapulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  10. An observational study of the utility of bronchoalveolar lavage in patients with suspected sputum negative tuberculosisGet protocol
  11. A comparative study of tuberculin skin testing and interferon based testing in suspected latent infectionGet protocol
  12. A cross-sectional study of the prevalence and pattern of drug resistance among patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  13. An observational study of the clinical profile and outcome of patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosisGet protocol
  14. A study of the risk factors associated with drug resistant tuberculosis at a tertiary care centreGet protocol
  15. A comparative study of clinical and radiological features between drug sensitive and drug resistant tuberculosisGet protocol
  16. An observational study of the treatment initiation delay in patients diagnosed with drug resistant tuberculosisGet protocol
  17. An observational study of sputum conversion at the end of the intensive phase of antitubercular therapyGet protocol
  18. A study of treatment outcome and its determinants among patients registered under the national programmeGet protocol
  19. A cross-sectional study of treatment interruption and its causes in patients on antitubercular therapyGet protocol
  20. An observational study of the radiological response to antitubercular therapy at the end of treatmentGet protocol
  21. A study of weight gain during antitubercular therapy and its association with treatment outcomeGet protocol
  22. A cross-sectional study of adherence to antitubercular therapy and its determinantsGet protocol
  23. An observational study of adverse drug reactions to first line antitubercular therapyGet protocol
  24. A study of hepatotoxicity during antitubercular therapy and its clinical managementGet protocol
  25. A cross-sectional study of the pattern of adverse effects in patients receiving second line antitubercular drugsGet protocol
  26. An observational study of hearing impairment among patients receiving injectable antitubercular therapyGet protocol
  27. A cross-sectional study of diabetes mellitus and its association with clinical severity in pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  28. An observational study of the outcome of tuberculosis treatment in patients with diabetes mellitusGet protocol
  29. A study of nutritional status and its association with treatment outcome in pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  30. A cross-sectional study of tobacco and alcohol use among patients registered for tuberculosis treatmentGet protocol
  31. An observational study of anaemia and its clinical associations in patients with pulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  32. A cross-sectional study of the yield of household contact screening for tuberculosisGet protocol
  33. An observational study of the uptake of preventive therapy among eligible household contactsGet protocol
  34. A study of the knowledge and stigma regarding tuberculosis among patients and their familiesGet protocol
  35. A cross-sectional study of the anatomical distribution and diagnostic route in extrapulmonary tuberculosisGet protocol
  36. An observational study of the clinical profile and outcome of patients with tuberculous pleural effusionGet protocol
  37. A study of the diagnostic utility of pleural fluid adenosine deaminase in tuberculous effusionGet protocol
  38. A cross-sectional study of the clinical and radiological profile of patients with tuberculous lymphadenitisGet protocol
  39. An observational study of residual pulmonary impairment after completion of tuberculosis treatmentGet protocol
  40. A study of post tuberculosis lung disease assessed by spirometry in treated patientsGet protocol
  41. A cross-sectional study of the diagnostic yield of pleural fluid analysis in undiagnosed effusionGet protocol
  42. An observational study of the outcome of intercostal drainage in patients with pleural collectionsGet protocol
  43. A study of the clinical profile and management of patients presenting with pneumothoraxGet protocol
  44. A cross-sectional study of the clinical profile and severity of patients with chronic obstructive airway diseaseGet protocol
  45. An observational study of the association between biomass fuel exposure and chronic respiratory symptomsGet protocol
  46. A study of spirometric abnormalities among individuals with chronic occupational dust exposureGet protocol
  47. A cross-sectional study of respiratory symptoms and lung function among workers in a defined industryGet protocol
  48. An observational study of the clinical profile of patients presenting with haemoptysisGet protocol
  49. A study of the diagnostic yield and complications of flexible bronchoscopy in respiratory diseaseGet protocol
  50. A cross-sectional study of the indications and findings of chest computed tomography in respiratory patientsGet protocol

Choosing a Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases thesis topic

Can programme data be used in a tuberculosis thesis?

Often, but not automatically. Records maintained under the national programme sit with the district authority as well as the institution, and permission from the district tuberculosis officer is usually required in addition to institutional ethics approval. Start that conversation before writing the protocol, because it can take weeks and a study designed around inaccessible data cannot be rescued later.

How much of the treatment course can a thesis follow?

The intensive phase and sputum conversion at two months are reliably achievable and are the commonest prospective endpoints. Full six month outcome is possible for a cohort recruited early in the programme, though loss to follow-up under field conditions is substantial and the sample size should allow for it. Cross-sectional studies of presentation, resistance pattern and comorbidity sidestep the problem entirely.

What confidentiality issues are specific to tuberculosis research?

Considerable ones. A tuberculosis diagnosis carries social consequences in Indian settings, particularly for young women and for people in shared housing, and a study that identifies participants to their household during contact tracing can cause real harm. The protocol should describe how participants are approached, what is disclosed to family members, and how records linking names to diagnosis are stored.

Thesis and protocol questions

How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?

The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.

When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?

For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.

How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?

Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.

Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?

Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.

What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?

A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.

Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?

Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.

Picked a topic? Generate the protocol