ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The pattern of clinical presentations of tuberculosis (TB) is reflected in the microbiological, radiological, and histological characteristics of the disease. However, coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) poses special diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This study was aimed at assessing the clinical manifestations of TB in patients with or without HIV coinfection in a hospital-based cross-sectional study in Gondar, Ethiopia. METHODS: TB was diagnosed following standard clinical, bacteriological, radiological, and histological procedures. HIV serostatus was checked by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: This study included 257 TB patients, of whom 52.1% were coinfected with HIV. Pulmonary TB and extrapulmonary TB were diagnosed in 64.2% and 35.8% of the patients, respectively. No significant association was found between sputum smear positivity and HIV serostatus. One-fifth of the patients reported hemoptysis. More than one-third had chest pain, and >90% reported fever and weight loss. Night sweats and cough were reported by 86% and 82.5%, respectively. Coarse crepitations were the most frequent auscultatory finding (33.9%). Sputum smear positivity rate was 26.8%. Cavitation was significantly associated with sputum smear positivity (odds ratio = 9.0, 95% confidence interval = 2.4-34.1). Wasting, cough of Subject(s)
HIV Infections/complications
, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/diagnosis
, Adolescent
, Adult
, Aged
, Aged, 80 and over
, Cicatrix
, Ethiopia/epidemiology
, Female
, HIV Antibodies/blood
, HIV Infections/diagnosis
, HIV Infections/epidemiology
, HIV Infections/immunology
, Herpes Zoster/complications
, Hospitals, Teaching
, Humans
, Lung/pathology
, Male
, Middle Aged
, Sputum/microbiology
, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/complications
, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/epidemiology
, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/physiopathology
ABSTRACT
The level of HIV infection and intestinal parasitoses among TB patients was assessed in a hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 257 patients in Gondar, Ethiopia. In TB patients, our study reported co-infection with HIV (52.1%) and intestinal parasites (40.9%) The high prevalence of HIV and intestinal parasites indicates an increased morbidity inTB patients and emphasized the importance of continued HIV sero-surveillance, stool analysis and treatment.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections , Hospitals, Teaching , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic , Tuberculosis , Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Ethiopia/epidemiology , Eukaryota/classification , Eukaryota/isolation & purification , Female , HIV Antibodies/blood , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1/immunology , Helminthiasis/complications , Helminthiasis/epidemiology , Helminthiasis/parasitology , Helminths/classification , Helminths/isolation & purification , Humans , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/complications , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/epidemiology , Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Protozoan Infections/complications , Protozoan Infections/epidemiology , Protozoan Infections/parasitology , Tuberculosis/complications , Tuberculosis/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Data on age, sex, occupation, HIV serostatus and year of donation were collected from the blood donors log book of Gondar College of Medical Sciences Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, for the period between January 1995 and December 2002 and analysed. The crude HIV seroprevalence was 9.9% (1109/11,204). A declining trend in the prevalence was observed from as high as 15.7% (207/1321) in 1995 to 9.3% (123/1327) in 1999 and down to 4.3% (68/1576) in 2002. The declining trend observed in recent years is encouraging and should further be strengthened by making use of the blood bank as an entry point for HIV testing and counselling services.