High mortality due to gastrointestinal TB in HIV and non-HIV patients

BACKGROUND: Due to the reported low incidence of gastrointestinal TB, there is a lack of data related to the prognosis, risk factors and frequency of resistant TB in this subgroup of patients. OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment and outcomes in gastrointestinal TB. METHODS: We prospectively studied the demographic, clinical, and paraclinical data of all consecutive gastrointestinal TB inpatients over an 8-year period. RESULTS: We identified gastrointestinal TB in 28 (3.5%) out of 799 inpatients with TB infection. Seven patients (25%) were HIV-positive. Overall mortality was 35.7%, with the combined variable of haemoglobin P = 0.029). No difference in the need for surgery (28.6% vs. 47.6%, P = 0.662), occurrence of septic shock (14.3 vs. 23.8%, P = 1.00) or mortality (14.3% vs. 42.9%, P = 0.364) was found between HIV and non-HIV patients. CONCLUSION: Gastrointestinal TB was rare among TB patients in Hospital Universitario "Dr José E. González" (3.5%), but had a high mortality rate (35.7%). Clinical evolution, drug susceptibility patterns and outcomes were similar in HIV and non-HIV patients. In both groups, the combined haemoglobin and albumin variable on admission was clearly associated with mortality.