Tuberculosis and Malnutrition

Abstract

    Tuberculosis is a major cause of deaths worldwide, with most of the 1.9 million deaths per year attributable to the disease occurring in developing countries. Thailand ranks seventeenth among 22 countries significantly suffering from tuberculosis. Malnutrition is an important risk factor for the development of tuberculosis since nutritional deficiency is vitally associated with impaired immune responses, particularly cell mediated immunity, phagocyte function, cytokines production. Epidemiological observations have confirmed that infection and malnutrition aggravate each other. Obviously, maintaining a good nutritional status and adequate micronutrients stores in the body are essential for mounting an effective immune responses to opportunistic infections. Well nourished individuals are better prepared immunologically to fight microorganisms. The countless and intricate relationships between nutritional status, specific nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients) and the immune system is an interesting and ongoing area of biomedical research.

Key Words : tuberculosis, malnutrition