title: Acute phase proteins and stress hormone responses in patients with newly diagnosed active pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the high burden of disease, there have been surprisingly few studies of the acute phase and plasma catecholamine/cortisol stress hormone responses in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. We wished to document acute phase reactant and stress hormone responses in patients with newly diagnosed, active pulmonary tuberculosis and to compare these responses to those of a group of surgical/medical cases with conditions other than tuberculosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study of consecutive patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis, admitted to a tertiary hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, documenting demographic, clinical, routine laboratory, acute phase protein and stress hormone responses relative to those of the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TB patients had a higher body temperature and pulse rate, as well as a platelet counts, ferritin, CRP and dopamine levels, with a tendency to higher cortisol levels compared to the control group. Conversely, they had a lower BMI, haemoglobin, leucocyte count, MCV and epinephrine levels than the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis were documented to mount an acute stress response which was more intense than that of a control group of patients with surgical/medical conditions other than tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Opolot
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Theron
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013019:South Africa; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D002395:Catecholamines; D006854:Hydrocortisone