DOI: 10.36347/sasjm.2020.v06i03.005

Pages: 104-109

Tuberculosis and HIV together have been referred to as the “cursed duet” and HIV has been found to reduce the effectiveness of treatment of TB. The aim of the study was to determine the status of HIV infection in patients of Tuberculosis and compare with patients of TB infection alone in patients admitted to a tertiary care centre. All cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and EPTB who were started on ATT and were admitted in the Department of Medicine and its allied specialties, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab during 15 months period were enrolled in the study. All these patients were tested for HIV as per NACO guidelines. HIV in tuberculosis patients was found in 16 patients (7.66%). Of the 108 extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients, 12 (11.11%) cases were HIV positive and of the 101 pulmonary tuberculosis cases, 4 (3.96%) cases tested positive for HIV. Patients having malnutrition (BMI <18) was more in tuberculosis patients with HIV positive than with HIV negative (31.25% versus 17.62%). 18.75% patients had mantoux positivity with TB – HIV coinfection and 32.1% patients had mantoux positivity with TB alone. Sputum positive was similar in PTB – HIV co-infected patients and with TB alone. Maximum patients had normal chest x-ray both with TB – HIV coinfection or TB alone followed by pleural effusion. Miliary mottling was present in 12.5% patients with coinfection and 2.07% cases with TB alone. In patients with TB – HIV, 68.75% were discharged and 31.25% expired whereas in patients with TB alone 87.56% were discharged, 10.88% took DAMA and 1.55% expired. The outcome of TB – HIV patients was poorer than patients of TB alone. To conclude, this study gave us insight in understanding the difference in the clinical profile among TB – HIV positive patients and how they present differently from TB – HIV negative patients. Also, HIV testing should be offered to all TB patients so that no TB – HIV co-infection is missed.