Radiographic features of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients infected by HIV: is there an objective indicator of co-infection?

• Main Authors: Maria de Fátima Militão de Albuquerque, Silvio Cavalcanti de Albuquerque, Antonio Roberto Leite Campelo, Marta Cruz, Wayner V. de Souza, Ricardo A.A. Ximenes, Roberta A.S. de Souza
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2001
• Subjects: Tuberculosis; HIV/AIDS; Radiographic features; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/1504d03d32b6455084c800b18839ef8c

This study aimed to compare the radiographic characteristics of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with those of HIV-negative patients. In all, 275 TB patients attending the outpatients clinics at the University Hospital/UFPE, were studied from January 1997 to March 1999. Thirty nine (14.2%) of them were HIV+, with a higher frequency of males in this group (p=0.044). Seventy-five percent of the HIV+ patients and 19% of the HIV- had a negative tuberculin test (PPD) (p < 0.001). The proportion of positive sputum smears in the two groups was similar. The radiological finding most strongly associated with co-infection was absence of cavitation (p < 0.001). It may therefore be concluded that the lack of cavitation in patients with pulmonary TB may be considered a useful indicator of the need to investigate HIV infection. This approach could contribute to increasing the effectiveness of local health services, by offering appropriate treatment to co-infected patients.