Treatment outcome of patients co‑infected with tuberculosis and HIV in Abuja, Nigeria

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. The burden of the disease has increased with the high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Nigeria and Africa in general. The resultant effect has worsened the prognosis of tuberculosis treatment. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of TB‑HIV co‑infection relative to other cities/countries and compare the outcome of TB treatment among HIV‑infected and non‑infected patients in Abuja, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Hospital records of TB patients registered for treatment in 39 health facilities in Federal Capital Territory (FCT)-Abuja were reviewed. Treatment records were selected through multi-stage sampling. Treatment outcome of patients–completion of treatment, death, treatment failure, default in treatment or transferred out–with and without HIV co-infection were compared. Results: Two hundred and forty‑five (49%) of 501 adult TB patients were co‑infected with HIV. Among HIV co‑infected patients, 156 (64%) completed treatment, 12 (4.9%) died, 1 (0.4%) failed treatment, 41 (17%) defaulted, 30 (12%) were transferred out and 5 (0.02%) had an unknown outcome. Among the 256 HIV‑negative patients, 172 (71%) completed treatment, 3 (1.2%) died, none failed treatment, 36 (15%) defaulted, 24 (10%) were transferred out and 6 (0.02%) had an unknown outcome. Conclusion Abuja has one of the highest proportions of TB‑HIV co‑infection rates in Sub‑Saharan Africa. The outcome of patients with TB co‑infected with HIV was less successful than among HIV‑negative patients, with statistically significant higher mortality.