Title: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Values in Cases of Active Tuberculosis without HIV Co-Infection
Authors: Saket Kumar Mandal, Laxmikant Chavan
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v4i10.58
Abstract
Background: In clinical practice, it is commonly done as a non-specific test for a wide range of pathological conditions such as acute or chronic infections, systemic inflammatory conditions and neoplastic conditions. The ESR is commonly done as a nonspecific test during the initial diagnostic work-up for TB, which is a chronic bacterial infection. A few studies have documented ESR values associated with the infection. The present study was designed to study the ESR values among TB patients without HIV co-infection in an effort to contribute to the clinical knowledge on the levels of ESR elevation in active TB disease.
Material & Methods: The study subjects included 100 patients above 12 years of age without HIV co-infection of newly diagnosed cases of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed. The ESR was performed by a rapid modified Westergren method on whole blood samples obtained through standard venipuncture techniques.
Results: Out of the 100 cases of tuberculosis collected from our hospital, 55 patients were PTB, and 45 were of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. ESR was elevated in 87 (87%) and normal in 26 (26%) of these patients. Mean ESR in all patients was 67.6 mm/hr with no statistically significant difference between pulmonary, extra-pulmonary and disseminated TB.
Discussion: The findings of our study tend to suggest that active TB is associated mostly with very high ESR values (≥ 100 mm/h). In patients with suggestive features of TB but without any other underlying disease affecting the ESR, the baseline ESR may be a valuable diagnostic test to suspect TB in resource poor countries.
Keywords: Tuberculosis, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, HIV co-infection.
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