Association of vitamin D status with the immune response in active pulmonary tuberculosis patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis

Objective The aim of the study was to determine the associations between vitamin D (VD) and cytokine levels in active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). Methods One hundred seventy-two active PTB patients, twenty-eight PTB patients with CPA (PTB-CPA), and sixty healthy subjects were included in the study. The concentrations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA. Results A significantly lower VD level was detected in PTB-CPA patients (14.96 ± 10.89 ng/mL) than in both PTB patients (20.72 ± 8.07 ng/mL, p Conclusion Our data revealed a high prevalence of VD deficiency in all groups, predominantly in PTB-CPA patients. The inverse correlations between VD levels and IL-6 and IL-8 levels in PTB-CPA patients as well as between VD and IL-1β and IL-6 levels in cavitary PTB patients, provide further evidence for the role of VD as a regulator of inflammatory pathways in the context of coinfection.