Abstract
Background and objectives: In tuberculosis, the most of the laboratory findings such as immunologic and biochemical parameters show significant changes. These changes can result from secondary injuries that rarely have been studied. It is understood that phagocytic function of neutrophiles, macrophages and monocytes is coincident with respiratory explosion and culminates to rising of free radical production. This increase along with its destructive effects on lipids and lipoproteins, results in atherosclerosis. In this study serum lipids profile and Lp(a) were evaluated in pulmonary tuberculosis patients as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and compared with those of control group.
Material and Methods: In this study a total of 40 male patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis before starting treatment with mean age of 38.2±10.7 years were selected as patient group. Forty healthy male with mean age of 39.3±9.3 years were chosen as control group. The subjects with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic and renal diseases were excluded from the study. The serum levels of Lp(a) were measured by immunoturbidometric and the of lipids profile by standard methods.
Results: Comparing with control, significant elevation in the level of Lp(a) in the patients group were noticed (p<0.05). No marked differences between serum levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C and HDL-C between the two groups were observed (p>0.05). In the both groups the correlations between serum levels of Lp(a) and those of lipids profile were not meaningful (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Our data suggest that the increased level of Lp(a) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis may be one of the important risk factors of atherosclerosis. Further studies to find the factor causing the Lp(a) elevation and administration of special dietary regime or drug to reduce the level of this atherogenic lipoprotein may be useful in these patients.