To investigate the expression levels of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in the male patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) complicated with anemia of inflammation (AI) and to analyze their correlation with the disease.

A total of 39 TB patients combined with no AI and 34 TB patients combined with AI confirmed in our hospital from January 2018 to September 2019 were enrolled in this study. The baseline data [age, height, body mass index (BMI), smoking history, drinking history, hypertension history, and diabetes history], laboratory indicators [red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and reticulocyte count (RET)], and hormone levels (T and E2) were collected. The relationship between E2 and T and the immune mechanism was determined by in vitro stimulation. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between T and E2 and the laboratory indexes. Logistic regression model established by independent factors was used to analyze the influencing factors of AI.

There was no significant difference in height, BMI, smoking history, drinking history, hypertension history or diabetes history between TB group and TB combined with AI group (P>0.05). There were significant differences in age, RBC, Hb, RET, E2 and T between the two groups (P<0.05). E2 was significantly positively correlated with T (P<0.05), E2 and T were significantly positively correlated with RBC, Hb and RET (P<0.05). RBC, Hb, E2, and T were the protective factors (P<0.05), and RET was the independent influencing factor of TB combined with AI (P<0.05). The decrease of CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ in the TB combined with AI group with T and E2 stimulation was significantly different from that in TB group (P<0.05).

High expression of T and E2 can improve the immune mechanism and the activation function of the red cells of TB patients, which is of great value in reducing the incidence of AI.