Tuberculin testing of individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus: relationship with peripheral T-cell counts and active tuberculosis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate tuberculin test results and relate them to the presence or absence of active tuberculosis, as well as to CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte counts.


METHODS
The charts of 802 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome treated between August of 1985 and March of 2003 were reviewed. Of the 185 patients submitted to tuberculin tests (23.1%), 107 (57.8%) were male, and 78 (42.2%) were female. Patients were divided into two study groups: tuberculin test reactors (n = 28); and tuberculin test non-reactors (n = 157). Among the reactors, the mean age was 30.60 years, with a standard deviation of 6.62 years, compared with 34.45 years, with a standard deviation of 10.32 years, among the non-reactors.


RESULTS
Most of the individuals tested presented only a mild response to the tuberculin test. We found that, at the time of the test, the percentage of individuals with active tuberculosis was greater in the reactor group than in the non-reactor group. During the test period, 10 reactor group patients and 11 non-reactor group patients presented some clinical form of active tuberculosis. In addition, CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts were lower than 200 cells/mm(3) in 6 reactor group patients and in 8 non-reactor group patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Indurations greater than 5 mm were unrelated to higher absolute CD4+ T-cell counts.
de Souza
Lenice do Rosário
Ldo R
Botucatu School of Medicine, Julio Mesquita Filho Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil. lsouza@fmb.unesp.br
Galvão
Marli Therezinha Gimenez
MT
Machado
Jussara Marcondes
JM
Meira
Domingos Alves
DA
Cunha
Karlla
K
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology