Evaluation of Creatine Kinase-MB Activity and Cortisol Level in Hypertensive Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Patients Receiving Treatment in Nnewi.

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), imposes a health challenge globally. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs, and it spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit. This study was aimed at evaluating creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) activity and cortisol levels in Mycobacterium tuberculosis patients receiving therapy at Nnewi. A cross-sectional study involved 90 participants consisting of 45 TB+ individuals and 45 healthy controls. A questionnaire was used to obtain the age, sex, and other vital information needed for the study. The body mass index (BMI) of the participants was calculated. Their systolic and diastolic blood pressure was obtained using an Accu-Answer automatic blood pressure monitor. Ziehl-Nelseen (ZN) sputum smear microscopy determined Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and confirmed positive using GeneXpert. Plasma cortisol level was determined using an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay whereas plasma CK-MB activity was determined spectrophotometrically. Independent t-test and Pearson`s correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. Significant levels were considered at p < 0.05. Data was presented as mean ± standard deviation. The mean value of the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of the TB+ participants was significantly lower (75.53 ± 14.04) compared with the control (81.53 ± 6.10) (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the mean values of plasma cortisol and CK-MB activity (9.37±1.26) (18.99±1.26) of the TB+ participants compared with control (9.28±6.92) (18.81±1.45) (p>0.05). There was a moderate positive correlation between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and DBP (r = 0.50; p = 0.01) in the test group and a strong positive correlation between SBP and DBP in the control. SBP and cortisol showed a moderate positive correlation with DBP and cortisol in the test group. In conclusion, there was no predisposition to acute myocardial infarction and inflammation in the subjects studied.