Prevalence of tuberculosis in HIV/AIDS patients in Lafia, Central Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB) among HIV/AIDS patients in
Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia, Central Nigeria. Out of 200 confirmed HIV/AIDS patients examined with
Ziehl Neelsen staining method for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) in sputum, 69 were positive for AFB showing a
prevalence of 34.5%. The majority, 42(34.4%) were females and 31(43.7%) of them males belonging to the socioeconomically productive age group (31-40). HIV/AIDS patients who are urban dwellers and artisans had the
highest TB prevalence of 42.7% and 43.1%. There was no significant association between Socio-demographic
and clinical characteristics of TB infected HIV patients at (P>0.05). In the study of the most valuable specimen,
early morning specimens (Collected samples) were of more diagnostic value than others (collected at the clinic
between 9am 12 noon) which gave the highest positive result of 34.5% while samples I and III were 27.0% and
29.0% respectively. The high prevalence of TB among HIV/AIDS patients recorded from this study calls for
urgent efforts to check the spread of HIV infections especially in a depressed economy like Nigeria in order to
decrease the cases of TB.