Abstract
Background: Malnutrition and wasting are associated with TB and HIV infection. Malnutrition and tuberculosis are both problems of considerable magnitude in most of the underdeveloped regions of the world. Nutritional status is significantly lower in patients with active tuberculosis compared with healthy controls. Both, protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrients deficiencies increase the risk of tuberculosis.
Objectives: To investigate the concentration of serum albumin, total protein, glutamate oxalo acetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and zinc in Sudanese tuberculosis patients (TB), attending the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital, Khartoum State.
Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 60 tuberculosis patients, compared with 40 healthy individual age and sex matched used as control group.The study period was from April to August 2011. Serum albumin, total protein, GOT and GPT levels were determined by using clinical chemistry analyzer while zinc level was analyzed by atomic absorption spectro-photometers.
Results: Among TB patients the mean +/- SD of plasma albumin, total protein, GOT, GPT and zinc respectively were 3.29 +/- 0.91, 7.55 +/- 1.59, 21.24 +/- 8.33, 9.12 +/- 6.34 and 0.47 +/- 0.17. The mean +/- SD of plasma albumin, total protein, GOT, GPT and zinc for control group respectively were 4.19 +/- 0.93, 8.0 +/- 0.98, 26.0 +/- 9.08, 13.3 +/- 8.15, and 0.55 +/- 0.14. Statistically significant association was observed in all parameters between the patients and control group (P<0.05).
Conclusions: This study concluded that TB patients had significant decreased levels of all parameters; however albumin and GPT were more significant as compared to others.