Prevalence of HIV infection among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in a rural tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, increases morbidity and mortality among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. Data are lacking on the prevalence of HIV among TB patients in rural communities of Edo State, Nigeria. Aim: This study aimed at determining the prevalence and associated risk factors of HIV infection among patients with PTB from 2006-2011 at rural tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Venous blood obtained from a total of 250 patients with newly diagnosed cases of PTB was tested for the presence of HIV antibodies using standard technique. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic information. This was a laboratory based cross-sectional study. Results: The overall prevalence of HIV infection among study subjects was 32.8%. Although the prevalence of HIV infection was observed to drop from 36.5% in 2006 to 29. 2% in 2011, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.98). Gender was not a risk factor for HIV-PTB co-infection [female vs. male: 37.3% (53/142) vs. 26.8% (29/108); P = 0.10, OR = 1.622; 95% CI = 0.941, 2.797]. Age was identified as a risk factor for HIV-PTB co-infection (P < 0.0001), with participants within the age group of 21-30 years having the highest risk. The prevalence of HIV-TB co-infection was not significantly affected by educational status (P = 0.48), occupation (P = 0.19) and marital status (P = 0.23) of study participants. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of HIV infection among patients with PTB was 32.8%. Age was a significant risk factor for HIV-PTB co-infection. Increased surveillance of HIV-PTB co-infection in rural communities of Nigeria is advocated.