Hyderabad: The chances of a person becoming susceptible to TB increases 10 times, when he is Vitamin A deficient, claims a study published in medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The levels of vitamin A are not easy to identify but a cause-effect relationship between the vitamin and tuberculosis shows that there is a connection, stated researchers.
Dr K. Subhakar, chest physician, said micronutrient deficiency was one aspect doctors had often found in clinical evaluation in patients. “Deficiency of basic vitamins is found to be one of the major reasons for the spread of the disease and also death. Supplementa-tion is prescribed but some of them have sev-ere deficiency which leads to serious conditions.” Dr Subhakar said.
An estimated one lakh women are not able to marry and three lakh children drop out of school due to tuberculosis, according to the data with the Centre. Deaths due to TB are recorded at 2.7 lakh every year in India.
The global burden of tuberculosis has increased by 26 per cent. Due to the growing numbers, the various risk factors that cause TB are being identified.
Dr P.N.S. Reddy, senior chest physician, said, “The common factors are malnutrition, overcrowding in public transport, alcoholism, tobacco abuse and lower immunity status. In the affluent class, we find a lot of undernourishment and that is due to the wrong choice of foods that give rise to this deficiency.”
With the disease striking, both the lower and middle income groups in the country, it is becoming a cause for concern.
Deficiency of vitamin A so far has been associated with blindness. Public health experts state that healthy levels of vitamin A are required to prevent damage to eyesight.
Chest physician Dr G. Pramod said that vitamin A is known to modulate the immune system to ward off infection. “The lack of the vitamin and the role that this plays in tuberculosis brings a lot of insights into the dealing with patients. It also shows how in groups, those with low immunity contract TB faster than others. Those with lower immunity have less of vitamin A in their bodies.” Experts state that presently in India the biggest challenge is ensu-ring complete treatment.
Dr Suneetha Narreddy, consultant, Infectious Diseases, at Apollo Hospitals said, “The biggest challenge for us is to ensure completion of treatment as the relapse of it is one of the biggest concerns. With 50 per cent seeking treatment in the private sector it becomes very important to notify the disease so that the healthcare workers can follow up and ensure completion of treatment. A patient who has opted for partial treatment not only increases the risk of spreading the disease to others but also risks a severe re-lapse which would require a much more aggressive treatment.”
Dirty workplaces prone to grow TB
The management of TB requires a multi-pronged approach in India as apart from nutrient deficiency, cluster working groups is also becoming a cause for concern.
Cluster working groups in environments which are not kept hygienic and not properly ventilated are risk prone areas from where the disease could spread.
The small factories, industrial units and also small home grown industries are some of the places from where the disease spreads. In a recent survey of 5,485 households in 88 localities in Hyderabad, it was found that four per cent of the children suffered from chest diseases like asthma and tuberculosis.
In certain pockets of the Old City in Hyderabad, it was found that every third household has a case of tuberculosis and the patients are not seeking treatment leading to further worsening of the situation.
Dr Sai Kumar, senior chest physician, explained, “These cases come at the last stage and often the patient can’t be saved.”
