Abstract
Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common comorbidity of active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB) that increases the risk of treatment failure during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. Evaluating systemic inflammatory response could help determine differences in response to treatment between APTB patients and those with APTB and DM. Methodology To explore changes in systemic inflammation, measured by a set of inflammatory mediators in subjects with APTB and TBDM before and after six months of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, 30 APTB and nine TBDM subjects underwent cytokine testing, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, C-reactive protein by nephelometry, and sialic acid by colorimetric assay at baseline and following six months of standard anti-tuberculosis treatment. Sputum smear microscopy or molecular biology (Xpert MTB/RIF) was used for diagnosis, and sputum smear microscopy was performed monthly during the treatment of the patient with pulmonary tuberculosis to evaluate his evolution. Principal component analysis examined changes in the inflammatory status. Results Both groups showed negative sputum smear microscopy in the sixth month after starting anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. TGF-β1 was found to be significantly higher in subjects with TBDM before treatment compared to APTB patients (p<0.001), and systemic inflammation continued only in TBDM subjects after treatment (accumulation and persistence of inflammatory mediators like IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β1, C-reactive protein, and sialic acid in blood). On the other hand, the mediators IFN-γ, C-reactive protein, and total sialic acid were found to be most influential in distinguishing pre- and post-treatment inflammatory response in subjects with APTB without DM. Conclusions Inflammatory mediators analyzed in combination, including IFN-γ, CRP, and total sialic acid, may be useful in evaluating the systemic inflammatory response in subjects with APTB and TBDM before and after anti-tuberculosis treatment. Determining these mediators revealed persistent systemic inflammation in TBDM subjects after six months of standard tuberculosis treatment, despite negative sputum smear microscopy results and good glycemic control. This suggests a need for inflammation-modulating therapies during tuberculosis control. Finally, monitoring sputum smear microscopy results alongside the determination of proposed inflammatory mediators (IFN-γ, CRP, and total sialic acid) are effective in evaluating the response to anti-tuberculosis treatment in APTB subjects without DM, warranting further investigation.