Role of serum albumin in monitoring nutritional status in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis is a communicable disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. Serum albumin is a more accurate indicator of crucial fat-free mass and survival in patients treated for tuberculosis. Objective: To study the role of serum albumin as biochemical marker for monitoring the nutritional status in newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients during treatment. Methodology: This was a longitudinal study carried out in Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry. All the patients who satisfied inclusion criteria received tuberculosis chemotherapy. All the indices like Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Serum Albumin and sputum for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) were estimated before start of treatment and followed up once in two months until completion of treatment. Results: Out of the 77 patients started the study, 50 patients completed the study. The pre-treatment mean weight, Body Mass Index and Serum albumin were 46.78kg, 17.22kg/m2 and 25.68g/L respectively. The corresponding values at the end of six months of treatment were 52.86 kg, 19.09kg/m2 and 40.14g/L. These three variables showed significant improvement with treatment. Serum albumin showed statistically significant improvement with treatment when compared to weight and Body Mass Index. Conclusion: Both the Serum albumin and Body Mass Index pre-treatment values reveal that patients are malnourished at presentation. Serum albumin is more sensitive and reliable marker than weight and Body mass index for patients with tuberculosis that have an average of monthly visits to hospitals.