Analysis of medical and social factors affecting the formation and course of co-infection HIV, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis

Abstract

Currently, HIV infection is characterized by emergence of its severe and comorbid forms. Mid-1990 HIV epidemics was expanded due to injection drug users who brought viral hepatitis C to the cohort. Along with developing immunosuppression, opportunistic and AIDS-defining diseases, including tuberculosis emerged. Various combinations of coinfections (HIV infection+tuberculosis±viral hepatitis) affect clinical manifestations and clinical score, reduce the therapeutic efficacy and worsen disease prognosis.Objective: to study an impact medical and social factors on course of TB-co-infection associated with immunosuppression related to HIV infection and viral hepatitis.Materials and methods. Comorbid cases (HIV infection, tuberculosis and chronic hepatitis) dominated by verified TB-infection (n = 137) were analyzed.Results. It was shown that socially maladapted young people with previous experience of intravenous drug and alcohol abuse dominated among subjects with co-infections, half of which were held in penal institutions. More-over, the mean CD4 lymphocyte level in generalized tuberculosis was significantly lower than in patients with significantly reaching 164±21.5 cells. In addition, lung-specific lesions were observed in 73.4% of patients with generalized tuberculosis that developed by initial targeting of the lymphoid system followed by affecting other organs, mainly the central nervous system, urinary system and abdominal organs. Introduction of antiretroviral drugs to anti-TB therapy reduced mortality rate by 8 times. Viral hepatitis was the most common concomitant disease found in co-infected patients, with dominating viral hepatitis C both as a mono-infection (86.8%) as well as in combination with viral hepatitis B (9.43%). In addition, co-morbid viral hepatitis resulted in progression of TB infection affected due to intra-thoracic lymph nodes being involved in tuberculosis process as well as development of opportunistic diseases due to a markedly decreased CD4 cell count. Analysis of potentially aggravating risk factors for developing hepatotoxicity (viral hepatitis, combined treatment with anti-TB and anti-retroviral drugs) did not reveal their any additional negative impact on hepatic functions. Thus, use of a combination therapy with anti-TB and anti-retroviral drugs in co-infected patients was shown to be safe and not accompanied by a high rate of hepatotoxic reactions.

Keywords

• tuberculosis
• coinfection (hiv infection
• viral hepatitis)
• cd4 lymphocytes