An Observational Study of Lipid Profile in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) ranks among the leading causes of mortality worldwide, resulting in almost 10.8 million new cases and 1.25 million deaths globally in 2023. The disease is also associated with abnormalities in the lipid profile. Cholesterol in the lymphocyte cell membrane is important for their cytotoxic function. The inability of macrophages to uptake Mycobacterium tuberculosis due to low cholesterol content of their cell membrane constitutes key defect in the host defense system against TB. The level and function of lipid profile were negatively affected by pulmonary TB (PTB). This study aimed to investigate the lipid profile in patients with PTB. Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted over a period of 6 months among patients attending the Respiratory Medicine Outpatient Department, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Trichy. The study included 35 patients diagnosed with PTB as cases and 35 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals as controls. After obtaining written informed consent, demographic details, medical history, drug history, and vital signs were recorded. Biochemical investigations were conducted to measure lipid profile parameters. All biochemical data were entered into Microsoft Excel and were analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 21.0. Results: Among the 35 cases and 35 controls, it was found that the mean age among cases was 43.33 ± 5.22 and controls was 44.91 ± 7.72. The mean total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level were significantly lower in PTB patients when compared to healthy individuals. By comparing the categorical distribution of lipid profile, all lipid parameters were lower in TB patients with very high significance value ( P < 0.00001). On comparing the body mass index (BMI), 32 cases and 24 controls had BMI <25 kg/m 2 and 3 cases and 11 controls had BMI more than 25 kg/m 2 . Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that individuals with PTB exhibit diminished lipid profiles (TC, TGs, LDL, and HDL cholesterol), suggesting that TB may be a risk factor for reduced lipid levels at the time of diagnosis.