Hematological parameters in pulmonary tuberculosis patients with and without hiv infection

Abstract

Hematological parameters are altered during infections. When dual infections such as HIV and pulmonary tuberculosis (PT) occur together, changes are bound to happen. The present study was undertaken in HIV infected patients with and without PT to assess their hematological status and to compare it with that of healthy family members without any infection or illness. The study included 162 participants, of whom 42 were positive for both HIV and TB (group A), 32 HIV negative but TB positive (group B), 45 HIV positive but TB negative (group C), and another healthy 43 were kept as control who were negative for both diseases (group D). Standard methods were adopted to diagnose the diseases. Hematological status was assessed by two pathologists independently and average of the two was taken for analysis. Hemoglobin levels (Hb), total RBC, and PCV were low in all groups without significant differences between the groups. On the other hand, total WBC was significantly lower (P< 0.05) in the HIV infected groups irrespective of the presence of coexisting tuberculosis infection. TWBC and ALC correlated positively with each other in all groups. ESR was significantly elevated (P <0.001) in groups A, B and C as compared to healthy controls (group D). In view of the hematological alterations, practitioners should constantly monitor the hematological status of these individuals and provide appropriate supportive measures.