Outcomes and complications of hospitalised patients with HIV-TB co-infection

Background Tuberculosis is one of the most common causes of hospitalisation in patients with HIV. Despite this, hospital outcomes of patients with this co-infection have rarely been described since antiretroviral therapy became widely available. Methods Prospective cohort study of HIV-infected adult patients hospitalised with TB in six referral hospitals in Medellin, Colombia, from August 2014 to July 2015. Results Among 128 HIV-infected patients hospitalised with tuberculosis, the mean age was 38.4 years; 79.7% were men. HIV was diagnosed on admission in 28.9% of patients. The median CD4 + T-cell count was 125 (±158 SD) cells/µL. Only 47.3% of patients with a known diagnosis of HIV upon admission were on antiretroviral therapy, and only 11.1% had a tuberculin skin test in the previous year. Drug toxicity due to tuberculosis medications occurred in 11.7% of patients. Mean length of stay was 23.2 days, and 10.7% of patients were readmitted. Mortality was 5.5%. Conclusions Hospital mortality attributable to tuberculosis in patients with HIV is low in reference hospitals in Colombia. Cases of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients occur mainly in patients with advanced HIV, or not on antiretroviral therapy, despite a known diagnosis of HIV. Only one of every 10 patients in this cohort had active screening for latent tuberculosis, possibly reflecting missed treatment opportunities.