Determining Biochemical Parameters in Patients under Tuberculosis Treatment

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused, in most cases, by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (KOCH's bacillus). It remains a major public health problem despite various therapeutic strategies implemented, such as first-line and second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs (in the case of MDR-TB) which can have dire effects on certain organs (liver, kidney, thyroid, etc.). This study was conducted to evaluate parameters such as transaminases, creatinine, uric acid, and ionogram in tuberculosis patients who are under treatment.

Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted from August 2021 to December 2023. It involves 172 patients with tuberculosis treated according to WHO recommendations at the National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP). Renal transaminases and biomarkers were assayed using enzymatic and colorimetric methods with the A15® multiparametric analyzer (Biosystems). The analysis of the results and the correlation tests were performed with Excel 2013 software.

Results: The majority of patients involved in this study were male (sex ratio = 3.3). During treatment, an increase in mean aspartate amino transferase (AST) was observed (p=0.0036). For alanine amino transferase (ALT), this is a slight increase from the mean that was observed (p= 0.137). Unlike creatinine and uric acid, we found non-significant associations with p=0.897 and p=0.890, respectively.

Conclusion: Our study showed that the risk of hepatotoxicity and dysthyroidism should be monitored in patients on anti-tuberculosis treatment. However, it would be relevant to consider the nature of the drugs used.