title: HIV seroprevalence among tuberculosis patients in India, 2006-2007.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little information exists regarding the burden of HIV among tuberculosis patients in India, and no population-based surveys have been previously reported. A community-based HIV prevalence survey was conducted among tuberculosis patients treated by the national tuberculosis control programme to evaluate the HIV prevalence among tuberculosis patients in India.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen districts (total population: 40.2 million) across 8 states were stratified by HIV prevalence in antenatal clinic HIV surveillance sites and randomly selected. From December 2006 to May 2007, remnant serum was collected from patients' clinical specimens taken after 2 months of anti-tuberculosis treatment and subjected to anonymous, unlinked HIV testing. Specimens were obtained and successfully tested for 5,995 (73%) of 8,217 tuberculosis patients eligible for the survey. HIV prevalence ranged widely among the 15 surveyed districts, from 1% in Koch Bihar, West Bengal, to 13.8% in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. HIV infection was 1.3 times more likely among male TB patients than among female patients. Relative to smear-positive tuberculosis, HIV infection was 1.4 times more likely among smear-negative patients and 1.3 times more likely among extrapulmonary patients. In 4 higher-HIV prevalence districts, which had been previously surveyed in 2005-2006, no significant change in HIV prevalence was detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The burden of HIV among tuberculosis patients varies widely in India. Programme efforts to implement comprehensive TB-HIV services should be targeted to areas with the highest HIV burden. Surveillance through routine reporting or special surveys is necessary to detect areas requiring intensification of TB-HIV collaborative activities.
authors: Office of the WHO Representative to India, New Delhi, India.
authors: Neeraj
authors: N
authors: Raizada
authors: Lakbir Singh
authors: LS
authors: Chauhan
authors: Ajay
authors: A
authors: Khera
authors: Jotna
authors: J
authors: Sokhey
authors: D Fraser
authors: DF
authors: Wares
authors: Suvanand
authors: S
authors: Sahu
authors: Rahul
authors: R
authors: Thakur
authors: Puneet Kumar
authors: PK
authors: Dewan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence / Q000639:trends*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D015995:Prevalence; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications*