| Title: | A study on serum levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-I
(sICAM-I), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)
and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- a) in the clinical follow
up of pulmonary tuberculous patients. |
| Full paper | Not Available |
| Abstract: |
This study aimed to findout the usefulness of measurement of serum levels of sICAM-1 , IFN-gamma and TNF-a in pulmonary tuberculous patients with different stages of severity of disease and to shed some light on the possible changes of these levels on short course (6 months) treatment with antituberculous drugs. It included 38 patients who have been diagnosed as having active pulmonary tuberculosis with different radiological grading (18 minimal, 10 moderate and 10 far- advanced) and 15 apparently healthy controls. Serum measurements of TNF-a, ITN-gamma and sICAM-1 were done on admission, 3 months 8z 6 months after starting antituberculous chemotherapy in tuberculous patients and once for controls. The results showed a significant higher levels of the tested parameters in patients than controls at any time of measurement and whatever the radiological extent of the disease. A positive correlation between each of the tested parameters and the radiogical extent of the disease and a negative correlation with the duration of the treatment was observed. Moreover, a positive correlation between each two of TNF-a, IFNgamma and sICAM-1 was detected. This study, therefore, verified the importance of sICAM-1, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma in the immunological response to infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and showed that the serial measurement of their serum levels may be a promising laboratory help to both the radiological and clinical follow up during antituberculous chemotherapy. |