TITLE:
Diagnostic Value of Leukocyte Count Abnormalities in Newly Diagnosed Tuberculosis Patients
AUTHORS:
Bertrand Hugo Mbatchou Ngahane, Abinkeng Tazifua Ebenezer, Ngouadjeu Dongho Eveline, Mafo Nzonteu Estelle Raïssa, Kemta Lekpa Fernando, Che Vanessa Lum, Namme Luma Henry
KEYWORDS:
Leukocytes, Diagnosis, Tuberculosis, Africa
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases,
Vol.10 No.1,
December
24,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: The diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is frequently challenging given that
the clinical and radiographic features of TB are often nonspecific. Altered
leukocyte count ratios could serve as new tools of diagnostic orientation of
tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of the
leukocyte count ratios for the diagnosis of TB. Methods: This was a
cross-sectional study including cases of newly diagnosed TB patients from
registers of the TB treatment center of the Douala General Hospital. Control
subjects were healthy volunteers, age and sex matched, recruited at the blood
bank. Sociodemographic, clinical data and peripheral blood parameters were
collected. The diagnostic value of leukocyte counts was determined using
receiver operating characteristics curve analysis. Results: In total,
204 TB patients and 204 control subjects were included in the study. The gender
of the participants was equitably distributed in the 2 study groups (male 61.8%;
female 38.2%). The median age of TB patients was 33 years while that of
control patients was 32 years. The monocyte-lymphocyte count ratio (MLR) and neutrophil-lymphocyte
count ratio (NLR) were significantly higher in the TB patients group compared
to control group. A NLR >1.19 and MLR >0.29 were identified as cut-off values for discriminating TB
patients. The areas under the curves (AUC) were 0.77 and 0.84 for the MLR and
NLR respectively. Conclusion: A raised NLR > 1.19 and MLR > 0.29 are predictive of tuberculosis. The NLR has greater
diagnostic ability as evidenced by its higher AUC. Further research is needed
to confirm or refute our findings.