The Importance of Measuring the Serum Adenosine Deaminase Levels in Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis at Diagnosis and During the Treatment

Objective: Tuberculosis is still a major health problem in developing countries. The definite diagnose is culture for tubercule bacilli, but it takes time, so workers try to find new methods. It has been shown that the activity of serum adenosine deaminase (sADA) increases in patients with tuberculosis. In our study, we investigated the sADA levels, before and during treatment with the clinical, radiological, and laboratory parameters to determine whether it is a helpful parameter for diagnosis, also we researched whether sADA levels can be used for monitoring. Material and Method: 72 lung tuberculosis patients and 20 healthy individuals were examined between January 2007-June 2008. The patients' first, intermediary, and final sADA activities were measured with their clinical, radiological, and laboratory assessments. The initial levels of patients were compared with the control group and the first, intermediary and final sADA levels were compared to each other. Results: First sADA activities of patients were higher than the healthy group (p=0.000). An obvious decrease was observed during and after the treatment comparing to initial levels. The final sADA activities were still higher and the difference was significant (p=0.000). Conclusion: Although the definite diagnosis for pulmonary tuberculosis is culture of bacilli, we consider high sADA levels can be a helpful parameter for diagnosis, can be used in monitoring and response to the antituberculoterapy. We expect comprehensive studies with more extensive cases about this subject will contribute to the literature.