Are smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients a 'sentinel' population for the HIV epidemic in Cameroon?

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seroprevalence rate in adults with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) can serve as a sentinel group for the estimation of HIV prevalence in the general adult population in Cameroon. DESIGN AND METHODS: A systematic review of reported HIV seroprevalence rates in the general adult population and in adults aged 15 years and over with PTB in Cameroon, using indexed and non indexed articles, publications, and reports from 1989 to 2000. Reconstruction of the evolution of the HIV seroprevalence in the two populations was done, and the relationship between these was established by the regression equation and the calculation of the correlation coefficient r. RESULTS: During the period 1989-2000, the evolution of HIV seroprevalence in the general adult population and in adults with PTB showed a steady increase, with a strong linear relationship (r = 0.96, df 7, P < 0.01). Each percentage increase of HIV seroprevalence among PTB patients corresponded to an increase of seroprevalence of about 0.3% in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: HIV seroprevalence in PTB patients in Cameroon could serve as a 'sentinel' for HIV seroprevalence in the general population.