Clinical features and serum beta 2-microglobulin levels in HIV-1 positive and negative Tanzanian patients with tuberculosis.
Serum beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M) rises in the later stages of HIV disease and has therefore been used to monitor progression to AIDS. However, little work has been done on patients co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis. We studied clinical features and serum beta 2-M in 35 Tanzanian patients treated for pulmonary tuberculosis (9 HIV-positive, 26 HIV-negative). The provisional WHO clinical definition of AIDS for use in Africa was fulfilled by 89% of the HIV-positive and 65% of the HIV-negative patients. Median serum beta 2-M on admission was slightly higher in HIV-positive (3.17 mg/l) than in HIV-negative (2.85 mg/l) patients. Serum beta 2-M fell during treatment in 17/24 (71%) of HIV-negative and 3/7 (43%) HIV-positive patients followed up for 6 months. We conclude that serum beta 2-M is frequently raised in active tuberculosis, and is therefore an unreliable indicator of the stage of HIV disease in co-infected patients. The WHO clinical definition of AIDS also proved unreliable in patients with tuberculosis.
Kennedy
N
N
University Division of Communicable Diseases, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, UK.
Whitelaw
F M
FM
Gutmann
J
J
Berger
L
L
Uiso
L
L
Ngowi
F I
FI
Gillespie
S H
SH
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013636:Tanzania; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000378:metabolism*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin