Prognostic value of some serum protein fractions as Early Index of Clinical Recovery in Pulmonary Tuberculosis subjects

Background Malnutrition is an important risk factor for pulmonary tuberculosis and can result to adverse treatment outcomes. Aim This was a cross-sectional study designed to assess prognostic value of some serum protein fractions in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) subjects at Oron, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Thirty (30) TB subjects on Anti-tuberculosis therapy, thirty (30) drug naive TB subjects and thirty (30) apparently healthy control subjects aged 21-52 (35 ± 16) years were conveniently recruited. Methods Total protein and albumin were measured colourimetrically, Albumin-globulin ratio was calculated while demographic data was obtained using questionnaire. Results BMI (kg/m 2 ), Albumin (g/dl) and AGR were significantly lower in TB subjects with or without ATT when compared with control subjects (p Conclusion Decreased BMI in TB subjects signifies reduction in muscle mass and wasting precipitated by PTB infection, while depleted albumin and AGR suggests high degree of malnutrition. Increased albumin and AGR in PTB subjects on ATT suggests improvement with ATT. Assessment of serum albumin and AGR may serve as affordable and early index of clinical recovery in PTB subjects especially in resource limited settings, and may be more reliable than the traditionally used BMI.