Title:Vitamin D among Patients of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis: A Prospective Case-control Study
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Doaa Gadallah*, Ahmed Sedky and Hend Mohamed Esmaeel
Affiliation:Department of Chest Diseases, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Department of Clinical Pathology, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Department of Chest Diseases, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag
Keywords:Calcitriol, extrapulmonary tuberculosis, human monocytes, immunological tolerance, pulmonary tuberculosis,
vitamin D deficiency.
Abstract:
Background: Vitamin D has an essential role in enhancing the immune system to fight
and destroy bacteria. People with vitamin D deficiency are highly liable to develop active pulmonary
and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Objective: To evaluate the serum level of vitamin D among patients with pulmonary and
extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Patients and Methods: A case-control prospective study was conducted among patients with
pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis and asymptomatic persons (controls). The study
included 80 participants, 50 were TB patients, while 30 were controls. Vitamin D {1, 25(OH)} assay
was done for all.
Results: Vitamin D assay of the included subjects revealed that 52 patients were vitamin D deficient,
7 patients had insufficient vitamin D and 21 had normal serum levels. Of the extrapulmonary TB
patients, 35 (100%) had vitamin D deficiency, in pulmonary TB patients, 15 (100%) were vitamin D
deficient. While 2 study subjects (6.7%) in the control group were deficient of vitamin D, 7 (23.3%)
had insufficient vitamin D and 21cases had normal vitamin D levels. There was a statistically
significant relationship between pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB cases and vitamin D deficiency
(P< 0.001).
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was found among pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis
patients especially among female patients and patients in rural residence. The current study needs
additional work to evaluate the value of adding vitamin D to the TB treatment regimen.
