Nutritional therapy for tuberculosis

Patients infected with tuberculosis bacteria have a life time risk of falling ill with TB of 10%. Revised estimates suggests that mortality due to TB continues to be high in India-with an estimated 480, 000 deaths annually. World Health Organization estimates that in India approximately 300, 000people die from TB each year. It is a contagious disease associated to under nutrition. Tuberculosis is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide and it continues to be a major public health problem in India. The Nutritional status and the intake and utilization of foodstuffs are profoundly altered during the body's response to infection which is accompanied by a complex variety of nutritional and metabolic responses within the body. Nutritional requirements of TB patients vary with their age, gender and activity levels. Factors affecting food intake, such as food availability, appetite, eating patterns, medication side effects, traditional food taboos, lifestyles, psychological factors and economic factors should also be considered during meal plan.