Characteristics of cases of tuberculosis coinfected with HIV in Minas Gerais State in 2016

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the cases of tuberculosis (TB) co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, after the notification sheet modification, and to verify the association between the new variables and the treatment outcome. It is an analytical cross-sectional study with TB/HIV cases notified in the year 2016 to the Brazilian Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and multiple correspondence analysis were performed to verify the association between the outcome, ageand associated diseases. Of the 180 cases, most were male (75.6%) between 30 and 49 years old (63.3%), mixed ethnicity (black and white) (49.4%), 94.4% had the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and 60.6% had pulmonary TB. The molecular test was not performed at the time of diagnosis in 70.5% of the cases. Homeless people (4.4%) and prisoners (3.9%) featured prominently among the special populations. People between 40 and 49 years old without concurrent diseases were cured in 40.0% of the cases; 18.9% abandoned the treatment due to smoking, drug abuse and mental illness in the age group between 20 and 29 years old. The deaths were associated with the age group between 30 and 39 years old and the occurrence of AIDS. The results have shown that the groups considered vulnerable (drug users, smokers and people with mental illness) abandoned the treatment, the notification upon death from AIDS in adults was late and some treatments were inadequate. The epidemiological surveillance, prevention and assistance strategies towards cases of TB/HIV must be improved in order to achieve the goal of the Brazilian National Plan to end Tuberculosis as a Public Health Problem until 2035 in the state.