Baseline glycated hemoglobin and potassium level correlated with pretreatment QT-corrected interval among patients with diabetic drug-resistant tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND

Bedaquiline is a core drug with an optimized background regimen for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients. One of the adverse effects of bedaquiline is QT-corrected (QTc) interval prolongation. TB patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are more likely to develop QTc interval prolongation during TB treatment than those without DM. This study aimed to correlate baseline electrolyte levels (potassium, calcium, and magnesium), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), body mass index (BMI), blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and pretreatment QTc interval among patients with diabetic DR TB who received regimens containing bedaquiline.

METHODS

It was a prospective study with a cross-sectional design. Blood samples, BMI, and electrocardiogram were collected at baseline before starting the regimen for DR-TB. Pearson correlation was used to correlate between baseline electrolyte level, TSH, BMI, complete blood count, blood glucose, HbA1c, and pretreatment QTc interval.

RESULTS

Seventy-two DR-TB patients met the inclusion criteria, half with DM. The blood glucose and HbA1c were significantly higher in patients with DM. Pretreatment QTc interval was similar between the two groups. Levels of calcium, magnesium, TSH, blood glucose, and BMI were not correlated with pretreatment QTc interval. There was a correlation between baseline potassium and HbA1c levels with pretreatment QTc interval (P < 0.05; r = 0.357 and r = -0.376, respectively). Baseline potassium level correlates with the pretreatment QTc interval in those without DM.

CONCLUSION

Baseline HbA1c and potassium levels correlate with pretreatment QTc interval among DR-TB patients with DM. Our study indicates the importance of monitoring HbA1c and potassium levels during DR-TB therapy containing bedaquiline for early detection of QTc prolongation.