title: Association of Serum Vitamin D Levels with Bacterial Load in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D is known to have diverse effects on various systems in the body. There is evidence to suggest that a link exists between the serum vitamin D status and tuberculosis. The present study was designed to assess the alterations in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in newly diagnosed sputum acid fast bacilli (AFB) positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients and to study the association, if any, between serum vitamin D levels and different levels of sputum smear positivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were estimated in 65 sputum AFB positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients and 65 age and gender-matched healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of serum 25 hydroxy-vitamin D in tuberculosis patients were not statistically different from the levels of serum 25 hydroxy-vitamin D in healthy controls. However, among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, there was a significant negative correlation between the levels of serum 25 hydroxy-vitamin D and levels of sputum positivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum vitamin D levels negatively correlates with bacterial load in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yuvaraj
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sridhar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India.
authors.forename: S Vinod
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kadhiravan
keywords: Tuberculosis, Pulmonary; Vitamin D