Farzad Mehrannia, Mohammad Amin Rezaei, Mohammad Shakiba, Kamal Fakhredini, Sahel Kanjouri, Mehrdad Bavandpour, Zeinab Mohseni Afshar,
Volume 6, Issue 1 (2-2024)
Abstract
Background: the HIV prevalence among TB patients is much higher than that observed in the general population. This study was designed to assess prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection and to determine its factors.
Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kermanshah Province from March 2005 to December 2021. The study population included all TB-positive patients who had healthcare records in the Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Center of the province. TB was routinely diagnosed by the positive sputum smear (Ziehel-Neelsen) and confirmed by taking GeneXpert as the reference investigation. Primary HIV infection was diagnosed by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Plus, positive ELISA results were then confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Result: Of 2569 TB patients, 366 (14.2%) were reported HIV–TB co-infection. The risk of HIV infection for male was 2.84 times more than that in female. There was a statistically significant increase in risk of HIV infection for those who had pulmonary TB (OR = 2.29, 95% CI [1.46-2.94]). Patient with age between 0–15 years old (OR = 0.17, 95% CI [0.05-0.21]), 45–60 years old (OR = 0.14, 95% CI [0.04-0.19]), and ≥ 60 years old (OR = 0.09, 95% CI [0.01-0.13]) were all statistically significant for lower risk of HIV infection. Urban cases (OR = 2.48, 95% CI [1.89-3.73]) share a higher risk in HIV infection.
Conclusion: TB/HIV control programs that educate people on the prevalence and focus on these subgroups are likely to decrease the joint burden of TB and HIV.
