title: Treatment outcomes of new adult tuberculosis patients in relation to HIV status in Zimbabwe.
abstract: METHODS
  All public health facilities in Chitungwiza District, Zimbabwe.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine, in new tuberculosis (TB) patients registered in 2009, 1) the proportion of persons human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tested, stratified by age, sex and type of TB, and 2) treatment outcomes in relation to type of TB and HIV status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1800 TB patients, 1100 (61%) were tested, of whom 877 (80%) were HIV-positive and 75 (9%) were documented as receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART). HIV testing and HIV positivity were similar between patients with different types of TB. Overall, the treatment success rate was 70%, and 17% had transferred out. Being HIV-positive on ART was associated with better treatment success and lower transfer out; age ≥55 years was associated with poor treatment success and higher death rates. Defaulting was more common in those who did not undergo smear testing or in extra-pulmonary TB patients, while deaths were higher in males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a Zimbabwe district, less than two thirds of TB patients were tested. Better treatment success was observed in patients documented as HIV-positive and on ART. Important lessons for improved TB control include increasing HIV testing uptake for better access to ART, more comprehensive recording practices on ART and better reporting on true outcomes of transfer-out patients.
authors.affiliation: AIDS and TB Unit, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Takarinda
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France ; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Harries
authors.affiliation: International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, South-East Asia Office, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srinath
authors.affiliation: AIDS and TB Unit, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mutasa-Apollo
authors.affiliation: AIDS and TB Unit, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sandy
authors.affiliation: AIDS and TB Unit, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Harare, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mugurungi
keywords: HIV; Zimbabwe; new tuberculosis; treatment outcomes