Assessment of antioxidants and nutritional status of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional and antioxidant status of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Nigeria Methods: Levels of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB.), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), and total antioxidants (TAS) were determined in thirty-one Nigerian pulmonary tuberculosis patients and thirty-four controls using Spectrophotometric methods Results: The mean levels of TP (7.13±1.06g/dl) , ALB (3.27±0.7g/dl), TC (100.7±23.6mg/dl), HDLC (28.6±7.2mg/dl), LDLC (65.5±15.1mg/dl) and TG (61.6±16.2mg/ dl) were significantly lower while the level of globulin (3.9±0.84g/dl) was significantly higher in pulmonary tuberculosis patients when compared with controls (TP= 7.6±0.7g/dl; ALB= 4.2±0.48g/dl; TC = 163.2±40.1mg/dl; HDLC = 41.4±5.4mg/dl; LDLC = 107.8±27.5mg/ dl; TG= 101.5±29mg/dl; globulin = 3.4±0.6g/dl respectively). Level of TAS (0.83±0.34mmol/l) was significantly lower when compared with controls (TAS= 1.65±0.26mmol/l). The significantly lower level of antioxidants observed in this study might be due to heavy load of free radicals released by the bacterial invaded macrophages. Conclusion: The nutritional derangement and lower antioxidant status could call for prompt nutritional intervention in the management of pulmonary tuberculosis patients.