Prevalence, profile and treatment outcome of tuberculosis-human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in South Eastern Nigeria: A 3-year retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) represent major public health
challenges and are intricately linked to each other. This is more prevalent in the sub-Saharan African region, where
about 80% of this co-infection is recorded. This study aimed to review the prevalence, profile, and treatment outcome of
TB-HIV co-infected patients.
Methodology: A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary center in southeast Nigeria for the period
2015–2017. Information elicited from participant’s medical records included socio-demographic profile (age, sex,
residential area, and occupation), Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) count level at the time of diagnosis of co-infection,
weight, treatment outcome, as well as the record of the number of TB patients who presented within this same period.
Results: The total number of TB/HIV co-infected patients who participated in the study during this period was 207, with
a prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection of 33.9%. The highest proportion of cases was recorded among participants within
the age group of 31–40, and the cases of co-infection were more common in males (58.9%) and students (27.5%). The
results also showed a significant relationship between gender, occupation, residential area, and TB/HIV co-infection.
Most of the co-infected participants had a CD4 count of <300 cells/mm3 and an associated poor treatment outcome of
41.1%.
Conclusions: TB/HIV co-infection needs to be properly addressed, and screening for HIV among TB patients should be
a priority. This will help in early diagnosis and subsequently improve the treatment outcome of both diseases.