Abstract
BACKGROUND: Active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a highly prevalent chronic infectious disease and one of the most worldwide health problems, especially in our country “Yemen”. This study aimed to evaluate certain hematological and inflammatory parameters in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) before and after treatment in Ibb governorate, Yemen. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study collected 100 blood and serum samples from active PTB patients, diagnosed using Ziehl-Neelsen staining for acid-fast bacilli, culture on Löwenstein-Jensen medium, tuberculin skin test and chest radiography, supervised by a specialist physician. These samples were analyzed for various hematological and inflammatory parameters before initiating standard anti-TB treatment and again at two, four and six months post-treatment. RESULTS: The findings indicated changes in hematological parameters: Hemoglobin (Hb) levels were increased from 11.00 ± 1.41 g/dl before treatment to 11.95 ± 1.32, 13.08 ± 1.04, and 14.21 ± 0.96 after two, four, and six months of treatment, respectively. The total white blood cell count (Total WBCs) before treatment was 11,172 ± 2656.53, which decreased to 8903 ± 2026.31, 6650 ± 1336.47 and 5229 ± 591.40/mm(3) after two, four and six months of treatment. Additionally, inflammatory parameters were showed a significant decrease: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was dropped from 95.43 ± 21.98 mm/hr before treatment to 10.53 ± 6.65 mm/hr after 6 months and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were decreased from 41.04 ± 12.08 mg/L before treatment to 0.24 ± 1.18 mg/L after 6 months. Moreover, the study demonstrated that hematological parameters (Hb increased, Total WBCs decreased) and inflammatory parameters were normalized in PTB patients after anti-TB treatment in Ibb governorate, Yemen. CONCLUSION: These parameters gradually normalized after treatment with anti-TB drugs, suggesting their potential use in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy in active PTB patients. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-025-12261-y.