Prevalence of tubeculosis/HIV coinfection in patients from Model Health Centre in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul <b>[Abstract in English]</b>

Abstract

AIMS: The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in patients undergoing treatment for tuberculosis, at the Model Health Center in Porto Alegre, RS. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which the studied population consisted of all patients undergoing treatment for tuberculosis in the Model Health Center in Porto Alegre, RS, from 2004 to 2007. Statistical analysis was made by the chi-square test and by multivariate analysis by the forward likelihood ratio method. RESULTS: In the studied period, 1537 patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis, of whom 449 presented positive serology for HIV, resulting in a rate of coinfection of 29.2%. This group was predominantly male (73.9%), aging 30 to 39 years (40.8%). In cases of HIV/tuberculosis coinfection, the most prevalent clinical form was the extra pulmonary (49%). In bacilloscopy, the negative form prevailed (29.8%), and suggestive radiology (74.9%) also predominated in this group. The therapeutic schedule rifampin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide was the most used (87.5%), and the discharge by cure of treated tuberculosis of patients with positive serology for HIV was 43.7%. CONCLUSION: The results have emphasized the importance of the serological test for HIV when tuberculosis is diagnosed.