Background: In active pulmonary tuberculosis, certain cytokines have been postulated to be related to cavity formation, although the detailed mechanism of cavity formation is not yet known.
Objective: We examined the relationship between cavity formation in pulmonary tuberculosis and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which functions as an angiogenesis factor.
Methods: Forty-eight patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis were divided into two groups according to cavity formation as evaluated by chest high-resolution computed tomography. We evaluated serum VEGF levels by enzyme immunoassay.
Results: Group A (with cavities) was comprised of 22 patients and group B (without cavities) was comprised of 26 patients. The serum levels of VEGF were significantly higher in group B (58.733 +/- 21.612 pg/ml) than those in normal individuals (8.739 +/- 3.656 pg/ml) and in group A (13.053 +/- 8.670 pg/ml) (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.0149 and p = 0.0481, respectively). Serum levels of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were not significantly different between the two groups.
Conclusion: These findings suggested that increased serum VEGF levels subdue cavity formation in active pulmonary tuberculosis.
Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel