BackgroundDepression and anxiety are major psychological issues among patients with tuberculosis (TB) owing to chronic and complex treatments, have been reported to be closely correlated with immune and inflammation. However, the association of peripheral immune-inflammatory characteristics with depression/anxiety symptoms in in-patients with TB has rarely been reported.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 338 in-patients with TB from 3 hospitals in China were enrolled to investigate their depression and anxiety status by using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Participants were divided into groups based on their PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores, and differences in demography and immune-inflammatory characteristics were studied. Logistic analysis was performed to explore factors related to depression and anxiety symptoms.ResultsDepression and anxiety prevalence among patients with TB was 47.9 and 42.6%, respectively. Furthermore, 38.5% of patients reported a comorbidity of depression and anxiety symptoms. The counts of CD3, CD4, CD8, and lymphocytes decreased, whereas those of neutrophils, platelets, and peripheral blood cells and their derived indices increased among TB patients with depression or anxiety in comparison with those without symptoms (p < 0.05). In addition, increasing age, lower income (monthly income ≤ 3,000 yuan), divorced or widowed, drug resistance, and higher systemic immune inflammation index (SII) were significantly associated with depression or anxiety symptoms (p < 0.05).ConclusionApproximately half of the patients with TB suffered from depression or/and anxiety symptoms. Patients with depression or anxiety present worse cell immune status and stronger inflammatory responses compared to those without symptoms. We emphasized the importance of paying attention to the dysfunction of immune-inflammation process of TB patients with depression or anxiety symptoms. Especially, SII has a potential application value in guiding the evaluation of TB-related depression or anxiety owing to its easily accessibility and being economical.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) patients commonly suffer from sleep issues owing to various adverse drug reactions (ADRs), disease symptoms, and the contagious nature of their disease. These sleep issues negatively affect the treatment outcome and quality of life. However, the prevalence of sleep disturbance and its associated factors among TB patients have rarely been reported.MethodsA total of 497 inpatients with TB from three hospitals in China were enrolled in this cross-sectional study to investigate their sleep quality using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Clinical data, including demographic information, TB-related stigma, perceived stress, and nutrition- and immunity-related indicators, were also collected to explore the factors associated with sleep disturbance among the recruited patients.ResultsApproximately 70% of the recruited patients reported a sleep disturbance to varying degrees, presenting poorer global and subjective sleep qualities, longer sleep latency, shorter sleep duration, lower sleep efficiency, more frequent sleep disturbances, greater use of sleeping medication, and more severe daytime dysfunction. Furthermore, the body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin levels, albumin levels, and T lymphocyte count of the patients in the poor sleep quality group were significantly lower than those in the good sleep quality group (p < 0.05). Increasing age, higher income, drug resistance, higher stigma or stress perception, lower albumin levels, and lower CD4 levels were significantly associated with sleep disturbance among TB patients (p < 0.05).ConclusionThree-quarters of the participants were found to suffer from a probable sleep disturbance. And sleep problems are linked to biological traits that interact with psychological, cultural, and social factors in complex ways. It is therefore important to pay attention to the sleep quality of TB patients, especially those with the identified risk factors. Besides, taking care of these risk factors may prove to be an effective sleep management strategy.