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TL;DR
It finds that both iron deficiency and anaemia are associated with poor TB clinical outcomes, but preclinical studies on supplementation yield mixed results and only two clinical trials have been identified.
Microorganisms · 4 authors, 1 centre
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It finds that both iron deficiency and anaemia are associated with poor TB clinical outcomes, but preclinical studies on supplementation yield mixed results and only two clinical trials have been identified.
Anaemia of infection, normocytic and normochromic, has been reported in up to 71.7% of TB patients, while IDA affects 1-53% depending on population and contributing factors. The review identifies that anaemia with and without ID was related to a two- to threefold independent rise in risk for mortality, and anaemia with no ID was also related to TB recurrence. Plasma ferritin levels correlate positively with disease severity and higher mortality, while hepcidin predicted mortality in TB patients. Preclinical studies on iron supplementation yielded mixed results, and only two clinical trials were identified. Most recent preclinical studies showed that moderate, timely iron supplementation during TB infection does not worsen bacterial load and may have an inflammation-lowering effect. The review concludes that more clinical trials are required to determine the exact dosage, timing, and conditions under which iron supplementation is warranted in TB.