Tuberculosis Risk in HIV-Infected Patients on ART

HIV-infected individuals who are coinfected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis are 20 to 37 times more likely than HIV-uninfected individuals to develop active tuberculosis (TB). Despite a marked reduction in risk with antiretroviral therapy (ART), TB incidence remains higher in HIV-infected people than in the general population. In a retrospective study involving HIV-infected adults in Nigeria who had received ART for ≥1 year between January 2006 and March 2011, investigators assessed risk factors for developing TB.

A total of 5093 patients (median CD4 count at ART initiation, 153 cells/mm³; median duration of follow-up, 26.5 months) were included in the analysis. Immune response was defined as CD4 count >350 cells/mm³, and virologic response …