HIV and tuberculosis co-infection in non-European migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Even though HIV-TB co-infection is an emerging public health issue among migrants in European countries, the number of related articles has shown a decreasing trend. METHODS: To better estimate the extent of this problem, we analyzed 34 articles reporting both prevalence and odds ratio for HIV-TB co-infection in migrants in European countries. Heterogeneity analysis was conducted to assess potential bias, and a random-effects model was used to calculate the effect size. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HIV-TB co-infection was 9% (95%CI: 7% - 11%) in foreign-born individuals, with higher rates observed in specific subgroups: 14% (95%CI: 5% - 33%) in those from Sub-Saharan Africa, which is higher than the overall average, and 4% (95%CI: 2% - 7%) in those from Latin America, which is lower than the overall average. Compared to the native-born European population, foreign-born individuals had a twofold increased risk of HIV-TB co-infection, with a threefold increased risk for those from Sub-Saharan Africa. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis results highlight the disproportionate burden of HIV-TB co-infection among foreign-born people in Europe, particularly those from Sub-Saharan Africa.