title: Factors related to HIV/tuberculosis coinfection in a Brazilian reference hospital.
abstract: Infection with both Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis is currently the world's leading cause of death due to infectious agents. We evaluated factors related to the development of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected patients who were being treated at an infectious diseases hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. From January 2004 to December 2005, we made an epidemiological study through the analysis of the medical records of 171 patients, who were diagnosed as having both HIV and tuberculosis. Among these co-infected patients, most (81%, p=0.0006) were male. Co-infection was more frequent (87.8%) among patients over 40 years of age and those with lower educational levels (less than eight years of schooling). Forty-one percent of the patients in the study had not had a smear culture test for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). CD4 cell counts were lower than 200 cells/microL in 71.9% of the patients, the mean being 169 cells/microL. This type of data is important for establishing strategies to improve the control of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Research in Mycobacteria, Departament of Pathology and Legal Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bráulio Matias de
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: André Jalles
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Roberto da Justa
authors.initials: Rda J
authors.lastname: Pires Neto
authors.forename: Thalles Barbosa
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Grangeiro
authors.forename: Cristiane Cunha
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Frota
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult