To investigate the effects of nutritional risk screening, assessment and intervention on the treatment of diabetes mellitus patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (DM-PTB).

Totally 152 DM-PTB patients of Shaoxing Municipal Hospital from January 2015 to December 2016 were screened by nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS2002) and divided into the risk-free group (n = 72) and the risk group (n = 80) based on their screening results.The risk group was further divided into the observation group (n = 40) and the control group (n = 40). The two groups were given the same conventional anti-tuberculosis and hypoglycemic treatment, while the observation group was added with nutrition support, to analyze the biochemical indicators, cellular immune functions, the sputum negative conversion rate and the lesion absorption rate in order to determine effects of the nutrition therapy on DM-PTB patients.

As compared to the risk-free group, the score of NRS2002 in the risk group [(6.63 ± 0.36) vs. (2.44 ± 0.08), t = 10.740, P = 0.043] was significantly higher, and the levels of total protein [(52.2 ± 1.0) g/L vs. (67.4 ± 1.5) g/L, t = 8.823, P = 0.039] and albumin [(33.5 ± 1.0) g/L vs. (44.7 ± 1.0) g/L, t = 7.770, P = 0.032] were lower. The levels of the body-mass index [(8.6 ± 0.5) kg/m² vs. (10.6 ± 4.0) kg/m², t = 2.183, P = 0.032], total cholesterol [(4.03 ± 0.21) mmol/L vs. (4.72 ± 0.22) mmol/L, t = 2.283, P = 0.025], triglycerides [(3.67 ± 0.30) mmol/L vs. (4.43 ± 0.22) mmol/L, t = 2.007, P = 0.048], low density lipoprotein [(3.7 ± 0.4) mmol/L vs. (4.8 ± 0.3) mmol/L, t = 2.098, P = 0.039], fasting blood glucose [(6.0 ± 0.5) mmol/L vs. (8.9 ± 0.5) mmol/L, t = 4.089, P = 0.015], glycosylated hemoglobin [(4.0 ± 0.3) % vs. (5.5 ± 0.6)%, t = 2.275, P =0.026] and the NRS2002 score [(3.3 ± 0.4) vs. (4.7 ± 0.4), t = 2.469, P = 0.016] in the observation group after treatment were lower than those in the control group, while the level of high density lipoprotein [(5.7 ± 0.6) mmol/L vs. (4.0 ± 0.5) mmol/L, t = 2.149, P = 0.035] was higher. The levels of CD3⁺ [(63.6 ± 1.5) % vs. (59.7 ± 1.1) %, t = 2.098, P = 0.039] and CD4⁺ [(35.6 ± 1.5) % vs. (30.9 ± 1.7) %, t = 2.115, P = 0.038] in the observation group were higher as compared to the control group, while the CD8⁺ level [(25.9 ± 1.2) % vs. (29.1 ± 1.0) %, t = 2.071, P = 0.042] was lower. There were significant differences in the average sputum negative conversion time [(67.1 ± 1.4) d vs. (72.1 ± 1.6) d, t = 2.312, P = 0.019] and the lesion absorption rate [(74.0 ± 3.8) % vs. (55.0 ± 2.7) %, t = 4.096, P = 0.030] between the observation and control groups after treatment.

Normative nutritional risk screening, assessment and intervention can obviously improve the nutritional status, immune functions and treatment effects of DM-PTB patients.