Trends and prevalence of HIV infection among tuberculosis patients in two public hospitals in Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia: five-year retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, with a significant increase in TB incidence. In many countries, HIV prevalence in TB patients is a sensitive indicator of the spread of HIV into general population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine trends and HIV prevalence among TB patients in two public hospitals in Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia. Material and methods: A five-year retrospective data (from July 2013 to June 2018) of TB patients registered in TB clinics of two randomly selected public hospitals in Bale Zone were retrieved. HIV testing and tuberculosis diagnosis were performed according to national HIV/TB co-infection control program guidelines. Data were extracted from a registry of TB patients and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with HIV infection among TB patients. Results: Among 1,281 TB patients, 98.1% (1,257) have been tested for HIV, of whom 246 (19.6%) were HIV co-infected. A slightly declining trend of HIV infection among TB patients was observed during the study period, from 3.1% in 2013 to 2.5% in 2018 (c2 = 13.4, p = 0.02). Females (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.09-1.97%), previously treated TB patients, and age between 25 and 44 were found to have a statistically significant association with HIV infection among TB patients. Conclusions: In this study, around one-fifth of TB patients who followed treatment in the past five years was found HIV co-infected.