Micronutrient supplementation on tuberculosis treatment in Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

 Macro- and micronutrient deficiency are commonly found among the tuberculosis (TB) patients. Moreover, multiple micronutrient deficiencies cause higher risk to become more severe TB thus, increase the morbidity and mortality. Multiple micronutrient deficiencies occur as the consequence of the disease itself, but in a certain circumstances (poverty, lack of food) micronutrient deficiency may exist first, therefore increase the risk to become TB and more severe of TB. Such micronutrients are zinc and vitamin A, which are important in cellular immunity, the first defense mechanism against TB.

Through this study, we want to prove the beneficial effect of zinc and vitamin A supplementation on top of TB treatment. The specific objectives of the study are: 1) to measure the effect of different supplementation on sputum conversion time, health status, and nutritional status. 2) to describe the social and other factors influence the outcome of treatment.

The study has been carried out in a poor area in Timor Island. This is a collaboration study between the South East Asia Minister of Education Organization Tropical Medicine Regional Center for Community Nutrition (SEAMEO TROPMED RCCN) and the World Vision International FIGHT TB (WVI FIGHT-TB) Project in East Nusa Tenggara, funded by the Canadian International Development Aid (CIDA). The study is closed in 2009.

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