Radiographic features of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients infected by HIV: is there an objective indicator of co-infection?
This study aimed to compare the radiographic characteristics of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with those of HIV-negative patients. In all, 275 TB patients attending the outpatients clinics at the University Hospital/UFPE, were studied from January 1997 to March 1999. Thirty nine (14.2%) of them were HIV(+), with a higher frequency of males in this group (p=0.044). Seventy-five percent of the HIV(+) patients and 19% of the HIV(-) had a negative tuberculin test (PPD) (p < 0.001). The proportion of positive sputum smears in the two groups was similar. The radiological finding most strongly associated with co-infection was absence of cavitation (p < 0.001). It may therefore be concluded that the lack of cavitation in patients with pulmonary TB may be considered a useful indicator of the need to investigate HIV infection. This approach could contribute to increasing the effectiveness of local health services, by offering appropriate treatment to co-infected patients.
de Albuquerque
M de F
Mde F
Departamento de Clínica Médica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE.
Albuquerque
S C
SC
Campelo
A R
AR
Cruz
M
M
de Souza
W V
WV
Ximenes
R A
RA
de Souza
R A
RA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*