Effect of Serum Calcium and Phosphorus in Anti-tubercular Treatment

Tuberculosis is the major public health problem and ninth leading cause of death globally. Calcium and phosphorus are important macro-minerals required for various physiological functions and changes may cause detrimental effect as it has role in patho-physiology of pulmonary tuberculosis. Aim & Objectives: Estimation of serum calcium and phosphorus in pre and post-treatment of newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Materials & Methods: This study was conducted in the Departments of Biochemistry and Pulmonary Medicine, FMHS, SGT University and District TB Centre, Gurugram, Haryana. 100 newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients above 15 years of age were included in the study. The venous blood samples were collected from patients of pre and post treatment. The level of serum calcium and phosphorus was analyzed by fully auto-analyzer. Results: The serum calcium level was significantly low in pre-treatment (8.22±0.69 mg/dL) as compared to post treatment (9.30±0.75 mg/dL) with p<0.01. Similarly, the level of serum phosphorus was significantly higher in pre-treatment (4.86±0.97 mg/dL) as compared to post-treatment (3.84±0.87 mg/dL) with p<0.01. Conclusion: The level of serum calcium was increased and level of serum phosphorus was decreased in post-treatment compared to pre-treatment in pulmonary tuberculosis patients, which signifies the effect of anti-tubercular treatment and need of calcium supplementation with regular monitoring during the treatment.