Bedside inflammatory mediators in pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

BackgroundMonitoring of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) especially in poor countries is a major challenge aiming to find cheap valuable indices.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the use of simple laboratory parameters as complete blood count (CBC), especially platelet (PLT) indices, for assessment and monitoring of PTB activity.Patients and methodsTotally, 140 PTB patients in addition to 30 healthy individuals as a control group were included in this case–control study. Patients were divided into three groups: 66 newly diagnosed active patients (group I), 39 patients after sputum and culture conversion (group II), and 35 patients defined as cured cases (group III). On the basis of chest radiography, only active PTB patients were classified into minimal, moderate, and far advanced cases. Laboratory parameters including CBC with PLT indices, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were performed for all enrolled participants.ResultsCompared with the control group, hemoglobin, mean PLT volume, and platelet distribution width (PDW) were significantly lower in group I and increased after treatment in groups II and III. On the other hand, PLT count, platelet crit %, CRP, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly higher in group I compared with the control group and decreased after treatment. In addition, there were significant correlations between CRP and all PLT indices. Regarding radiological extension, hemoglobin and mean PLT volume were significantly lower in far advanced PTB compared with both moderate and mild PTB, whereas PLT crit was significantly higher in moderate PTB compared with minimal PTB.ConclusionCBC, especially PLT indices, could be considered valuable cheap markers in assessment and monitoring of PTB activity.