Treatment Response of ESR and Fibrinogen Concentration in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients
[1]
Raymond Aduku, Laboratory Department, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana.
[2]
Edeghonghon Olayemi, Department of Haematology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana.
[3]
Audrey Forson, Department of Medicine, University of Ghana, University of Ghana Medical School, Ghana.
[4]
Amma Benneh, Department of Haematology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana.
Tuberculosis is a common infectious disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. A hypercoagulable state has been reported in active tuberculosis; this predisposes tuberculosis patients to venous thrombo-embolism . The elevated risk of venous thromboembolism in pulmonary tuberculosis patients is related to the presence of inflammation with associated haemostatic changes due to an acute phase response. This study was designed to determine the effect of Anti- tuberculosis therapy on the fibrinogen concentration and erythrocyte sedimentation rate of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Forty-six male pulmonary tuberculosis patients were recruited from the Chest Clinic of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and divided into two groups. Group 1 was made up of 20 newly diagnosed - sputum acid fast bacilli positive- pulmonary tuberculosis patients about to start anti-tuberculosis therapy. Group 2 included 26 previously diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients who were acid fast bacilli sputum positive patients and had become acid fast bacilli sputum negative after treatment for a minimum of 2 months with anti-tuberculosis therapy. Erythrocyte sedimentation rates and fibrinogen concentration were determined in both groups as previously described using the Westergren and Prothrombin Time -derived method respectively. Means were compared with the unpaired t-test; P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. There was no statistically significant difference in mean fibrinogen concentration between the two groups. On the other hand, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate of patients in the second group was significantly lower than that of those in group one. Anti-tuberculosis therapy did not significantly influence the concentration of fibrinogen in pulmonary tuberculosis patients who have had a minimum of 2 months therapy and had become sputum acid fast bacilli negative. We recommend further research to evaluate the effect of co-infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus on the haemostatic function of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis; along with the possible interaction of anti-tuberculosis drugs and / or highly active antiretroviral drugs.
Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Anti-tuberculosis Therapy, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Fibrinogen Concentration
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