A trial of the effect of micronutrient supplementation on treatment outcome, T cell counts, morbidity, and mortality in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Study answer

What this study found

Micronutrient supplementation lowered TB recurrence but did not significantly reduce treatment failure or overall mortality. Recurrence between 1 and 8 months was 8.4% versus 15.3% in the micronutrient and placebo groups overall, respectively (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.93; P .02), and 4.6% versus 12.6% in HIV-positive participants (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.92; P .02). Treatment failure by 1 month was not significant overall (15.3% vs 20.7%; RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.04; P .08), and mortality was unchanged in HIV-infected participants (66 deaths in placebo vs 74 in micronutrients; HR 1.16,…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, stratified by HIV status and conducted in five outpatient TB clinics with laboratory support from Muhimbili National Hospital.

Intervention

Daily oral micronutrient supplementation was tested as an adjunct to standard anti-TB therapy: retinol 5000 IU, vitamin B1 20 mg, vitamin B2 20 mg, vitamin B6 25 mg, niacin 100 mg, vitamin B12 50 g, vitamin C 500 mg, vitamin E 200 mg, folic acid 0.8 mg, and selenium 100 g.

Key limitation

Several important outcomes were null, including overall mortality, treatment failure, BMI, albumin, hemoglobin, and viral load, so the benefit was selective rather than broad.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract