Assessment of Prognostic Significance of Haematological Parameters after the Intensive Phase Treatment in Patients of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Introduction: Drug-induced hematologic disorders cover nearly the entire spectrum of haematology and can affect red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and the coagulation system.Widespread drug-induced haematological syndromes are mediated by various pathways, including immune effects, interactions with enzymatic signalling pathways, and direct inhibition of haematopoiesis.Various reports have shown that hematopoietic changes occur in tuberculosis patients.Hematologic adjustment associated with tuberculosis treatment has been disclosed from many parts of the world. Aims/ objective:To determine the effects of anti-tubercular drugs on the hematologic profile of tuberculosis patients.In this study, we evaluated patients' haematological findings before and after the intensive phase of anti-tubercular pharmacotherapy. Materials and Method:Approximately 5 ml of venous blood was aseptically collected using EDTA tubes from each of the study participants.Blood samples were taken from each study subject before starting treatment with anti-tubercular pharmacotherapy and after completing 2 months of intensive phase pharmacotherapy.Haematological profiles were evaluated using an automated haematology analyser.We used paired t-tests to compare hematologic values before and after the intensive phase of tuberculosis treatment.P-values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.Results: There was significant increase in haemoglobin and red cell distribution width (RDW) whereas there was significant fall in packed cell volume (PCV) and platelet cell distribution width (PDW) after intensive phase of anti-tubercular pharmacotherapy (p<0.05).There was appreciable decrease in neutrophils and platelets after intensive phase of anti-tubercular pharmacotherapy but this decrease was not statistically significant. Conclusion:The variety of haematological abnormalities seen in patients of pulmonary tuberculosis after intensive phase antitubercular pharmacotherapy suggest the requirement for continuous monitoring and assessment of patients suffering from tuberculosis for adverse changes in haematological parameters during anti-tubercular pharmacotherapy.