Title : Postoperative risk factors and biomarkers- Chinese male tuberculosis damage smokers and non-smokers: A prospective study observational study protocol

Background: Exposure to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and cigarette smoke (CS) can both lead to lung injury. The interference effect of CS exposure on tuberculosis related lung injury and involved immune cells and mediators still needs further clarification.

Method: We first evaluated the chest X-ray (CXR) scores of a retrospective cohort of male active PTB patients, followed up for 6 months, and compared the scores between smokers (≥ 10 pack years) and non-smokers.

In a cross-sectional study, we measured peripheral blood NK cell subsets and plasma inflammatory cytokines in male smokers and non-smokers before anti tuberculosis treatment, and analyzed the proportion of NK cell subsets and cytokine levels in relation to CXR scores.

Result: In the retrospective cohort, male smokers had higher CXR scores for active PTB, Compared with non-smokers, smokers have more obvious lung lesions, manifested as more hollow lesions, enlarged lymph nodes, and emphysema. A cross-sectional study showed that the CXR score of smoking patients was negatively correlated with the percentage of CD107a+, NKP46+, and TIGIT+NK cells in the blood.

Conclusion: In patients with active PTB, CS exposure is associated with more severe lung lesions, which is related to peripheral NK cell subsets.

To be updated shortly..