A Study to Assess Liver Function Test and Renal Function Test Parameters in Tuberculosis Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Chennai

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease, and both the disease and its treatment may be associated with hepatic and renal biochemical abnormalities. The liver and kidneys are central to drug metabolism, detoxification and excretion; therefore, biochemical monitoring is clinically important during TB treatment. Methods: A hospital-based observational cross-sectional study was conducted at ACS Medical College and Hospital, Chennai. The available study dataset comprised 40 confirmed TB patients aged >18 years, including 31 males and 9 females. Approximately 4 mL of venous blood was collected into plain tubes and serum was analyzed using a Beckman Coulter AU430 automated chemistry analyzer based on spectrophotometric principles. ALT, AST, ALP, blood urea and serum creatinine were assessed. The supporting study material identifies isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol as anti-tubercular drugs used in TB treatment; however, patient-specific regimens, treatment duration and exact timing of biochemical sampling relative to treatment initiation were not recorded in the supplied publication dataset. Results: Mild elevation was reported for ALT in 31/40 (77.5%), AST in 29/40 (72.5%) and ALP in 28/40 (70.0%). Urea was categorized as mild in 21/40 (52.5%), moderate in 9/40 (22.5%) and severe in 10/40 (25.0%). Creatinine was categorized as mild in 9/40 (22.5%), moderate in 12/40 (30.0%) and severe in 19/40 (47.5%). The supplied chi-square analysis reported statistically significant association only for creatinine (χ²=6.87, p=0.032); ALT, AST, ALP and urea were reported as non-significant. Conclusion: Biochemical abnormalities were common among the available TB cohort, with renal abnormalities—particularly creatinine elevation—appearing more pronounced than hepatic enzyme abnormalities. Because no independent control group or raw continuous biochemical dataset was supplied, between-group mean±SD/range comparisons and treatment-duration correlation analyses could not be validly calculated without introducing fabricated data.

liver function tests; renal function tests; alanine aminotransferase; aspartate aminotransferase; alkaline phosphatase; urea; creatinine; anti-tubercular therapy; hepatotoxicity; nephrotoxicity.

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