Treatment outcomes of Tuberculosis single infection and Tuberculosis/HIV co-infection in Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) and TB/HIV co-infection are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality globally. The interaction between these two infections is multifaceted, with each disease influencing the epidemiology and progression of the other, which poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, particularly in developing countries. This study evaluated and compared the treatment outcomes of TB single infection and TB/HIV co-infection among patients at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.

Methods: This was a two-year retrospective review of the clinical records of all adult patients with tuberculosis and TB/HIV coinfection at the tuberculosis clinic of RSUTH between January 2023 and December 2024. Patients’ clinical records were assessed to extract demographic data, retroviral status, treatment outcomes and analysed using SPSS version 27.

Results: A total of 685 adult patients were involved in the study; over half (52.0%) were aged between 21 and 40 years old. Mean (SD) = 34 (4.5), and 383 (55.9%) were male. Up to 33.6% were TB/HIV co-infected, with 216 persons on antiretroviral therapy. Patients with TB-only infections had significantly higher cure rates (37.8% 24.8%, p value = 0.001), while those with TB/HIV co-infection experienced higher mortality (9.6% vs. 1.5%, p value = 0.001) and were more lost to follow-up (49.5% vs. 38.6%, p value = 0.005).