Adjunctive Therapeutic Effects of Zinc Supplementation in Tuberculosis Treatment among Adults in Calabar, Nigeria | Chapter 01 | Emerging Research in Medical Sciences Vol. 3
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. It is the leading killer from a single infectious agent worldwide, especially in Asia and Africa. Each year globally, about 1.3 million people die of TB. Majority of the cases are pulmonary TB (PTB) with approximately 15% being extra pulmonary (ETB). The infection is an insidious; chronic process which may take several weeks or months to become clinically patent. The symptoms of PTB include cough, chest pain and hemoptysis. Systemic symptoms of TB include fevers, chills, night sweats, easy fatigability, loss of appetite and weight loss. Tuberculosis has long been associated with malnutrition. Micronutrients including Zinc; deficiency is considered to be the most frequent cause of secondary immunodeficiency and infection related to morbidity such as tuberculosis. Zinc deficiency affects the host defences in a variety of ways. It results in decreased ph...