| Abstract: | Objective To investigate the characteristics and significance of nutritional status and immune function in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods 1041 tuberculosis patients admitted to Kunming Third People’s Hospital from March 2021 to March 2022 were collected as the research group and 854 healthy subjects during the same period were selected as the control group. The levels of related indicators between the two groups were compared, and the characteristics and relationships of the nutritional status and immune function of tuberculosis patients were analysed. Results Compared with the control group, the nutritional and immune-related indicators expressions of Hb, TP, Alb, Glob, A/G, PA, TC, TG, HDL, LDL, CD3+T, CD4+T, CD8+T, CD4+/CD8+ CD19+B, NK and NKT were decreased （all P < 0.05）. The levels of cytokines IL-1β, IL-8, IL-17 were increased, and IL-4, IL-10, IL-12p70, IFN-γ were decreased （P < 0.05）. In the research group, tuberculosis patients with low hemoglobin, low albumin, high cholesterol, high triglyceride, and low high-density lipoprotein were mainly mild and moderate, with a small proportion of severe; Th1 cytokines （IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-a, IFN-γ） were higher than Th2 cytokines （IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10） （P < 0.05）; The levels of TP, TG and NKT were higher in males than those in females, and the expressions of TC, CD3+T, CD4+T, CD8+T, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12p70 were lower than those in females （all P < 0.05）; The relevant indicators of each age group analyzed with one-way ANOVA of variance showed that there were statistically significant differences in the expression of Hb, TC, TG, CD3+T, CD4+T, CD8+T, CD4+/CD8+, and IL-1β; The counts of CD3+T, CD4+T, CD8+T in the ≥61 year old group were significantly lower than those in the ≤20 year old group （all P < 0.05）; Nutrition-related indicators were positively correlated with the number of lymphocytes, cytokine levels and immune-related indicators by Spearman correlation analysis （r = 0.461, 0.262, 0.491; P < 0.05）. Conclusion The nutritional status and immune function of tuberculosis patients in Yunnan are lower than those of healthy people, which may be prone to mild and moderate malnutrition, and its immune response is mainly Th1 type. Women’s immune function and responsiveness are stronger than men’s, and elderly patients are often in poor immune function. The nutritional status of patients can affect their immune function and there is a positive correlation between them. Serum protein levels, lymphocyte counts and cytokine levels can be used as the important reference indicators for nutritional status and immune function in tuberculosis patients and play a positive role in the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis. |
