Characteristics of tuberculosis patients co-infected with COVID-19

<bold>Background:</bold> Moscow, 13 million populated city, has one of the lowest tuberculosis (TB) notification rate in the Russia (17.7 per 100 K, 2020). City’s TB control system was temporarily reorganized in accordance with the needs of isolation and treatment TB/COVID-19 patients (TBC19P). TBC19P database was organized to analyze the COVID-19 prevalence in TB patients. <bold>Aims:</bold> To analyzed the information about COVID-19 confection in the TB patients population. <bold>Methods:</bold> Data of 642 TBC19P and 3083 new and retreatment TB cases, all which were notified in the city in 2020 were analyzed. <bold>Results:</bold> Prevalence of COVID-19 among all TB patients registered for treatment in 2020 was 21.0%. TBC19P included 324 new TB cases (50.5% or 15.4% in all new TB cases), 73 relapses (11.3%) and 245 retreatment cases (38.3%). There are only 22.9% retreatment cases among all 2020 TB cohort (p < 0.01). Share of HIV was 20.7% and 21.9% in new TBC19P cases (14.4% among all new TB cases, p < 0.01). The median age was 42 (IQR=33-54), which more than for all TB cases (38, p <0.05). 39.6% of TBC19P patients were city resident, 19.5% homeless, 16.0% foreigners, 50.5% of TBC19P were unemployment. 49.4% cases had COVID-19 with not severe acute respiratory viral infection, 46.3% - pneumonia without respiratory distress and 3% with acute respiratory failure, 1.6% with ARDS syndrome. 14.7% TBC19P were detected by CT scan only, and other – by laboratory tests. 30.4% TBC19P had IgM >1 and 45.2% - IgG> 10. 92.7% of COVID-19 cases were cured and 6.4% (41) died: 31, 9 and 1 from COVID-19, TB, HIV, respectively. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Analysis allows assessing the part of the TB patient population who are more susceptible to the disease, which is important for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.