Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Tuberculosis Coinfection in a Tertiary Hospital in Southern Brazil: Clinical Profile and Outcomes

Abstract

Worldwide, the convergence of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection epidemics is a public health challenge. In Brazil, TB is the leading cause of death by infectious disease in people living with HIV (PLWH). This study aimed to report the clinical, demographic, epidemiological, and laboratory data for TB in PLWH. This cross-sectional study involved a retrospective analysis of data for patients with TB/HIV coinfection who attended from 2006 to 2015 through a review of medical records. A total of 182 patients were identified, of whom 12 were excluded. Patients were divided according to whether they had pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB; n = 48; 28%) or extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB; n = 122; 72%). The diagnosis was laboratory confirmed in 75% of PTB patients and 78.7% of EPTB patients. The overall 1-year mortality rate was 37.6%, being 22.9% in PTB patients and 69% in EPTB patients; 84% of these deaths were TB-related. The CD4+ count and disseminated TB were independent risk factors for death. The frequency of resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates was 14%. TB in PLWH is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and severe immunosuppression is a risk factor for death. Appropriate measures for early TB detection should reduce the case fatality rate in high-burden settings.