Dynamics of Body Mass Index and Serum Albumin Levels Before and After the Intensive Phase of Tuberculosis Treatment

Abstract

Introduction Tuberculosis remains a major global health problem and is frequently associated with malnutrition, which can negatively affect treatment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate changes in body mass index (BMI) and serum albumin levels before and after the intensive phase of tuberculosis treatment. Methods An observational analytic study with a prospective cohort design was conducted at Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar. A total of 175 newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients were enrolled. BMI and serum albumin levels were measured at baseline and after completion of the two-month intensive treatment phase. Paired sample t -tests were used to assess differences between pre- and post-treatment values. Results BMI increased significantly from 19.21 ± 3.55 kg/m 2 to 19.78 ± 3.50 kg/m 2 ( p < 0.0001), corresponding to a 2.96% improvement. Serum albumin levels also increased significantly from 3.06 ± 0.62 g/dL to 3.25 ± 0.64 g/dL ( p < 0.0001), with an average improvement of 6.17%. Additionally, the proportion of patients with normal nutritional status increased, while the proportion of underweight patients decreased significantly after treatment ( p = 0.002). Conclusions Intensive-phase anti-tuberculosis therapy is associated with significant improvements in both anthropometric and biochemical nutritional parameters. Routine monitoring of BMI and serum albumin may serve as practical indicators for assessing treatment response and guiding nutritional interventions in tuberculosis patients.

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