Evaluation of Hiv Infection And Tuberculosis Concomitance

Introduction: Opportunistic infections are frequent in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients in developed and developing countries. Tuberculosis is one of the most important opportunistic infections. It accelerates the progression of HIV infection and takes place in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining illnesses. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical course of tuberculosis developing in HIV-positive patients, and to present our experience with the co-occurrence of these conditions. Materials and Methods: HIV/AIDS patients, who were diagnosed with tuberculosis between 1998 and 2015 in our clinic, were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data were obtained retrospectively. Results: Between 1998 and 2015, 262 HIV-infected patients (75.2% male) were followed up in our clinic and of these patients, 15 (5.73%) were diagnosed as tuberculosis. Thirteen of the patients with tuberculosis (87%) were male and two (13%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 43±10 years. Twelve patients (80%) had pulmonary tuberculosis, whereas two (13%) had miliary tuberculosis, and one (7%) had tuberculous meningitis. While one of the isolates had intermediate susceptibility to rifampicin, the other isolates had no drug resistance. Three patients died while receiving tuberculosis treatment and overall 40% of patients were cured. Conclusion: There are numerous opportunistic infections that can develop during HIV infection. The first and foremost of these opportunistic infections is tuberculosis, which is also an important problem in Turkey. The coexistence of the two diseases brings up some issues, such as poor compliance with treatment and prognosis of HIV infection, increase in drug interactions, adverse events, and prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Therefore, early diagnosis of tuberculosis as well as importance of precautions for the prevention of reactivation should be kept in mind in HIV-positive patients.