Drug utilization research in coinfected patients with tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to describe and classify the drugs prescribed for coinfected patients treated at a reference hospital. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study with analysis of information contained in a database prepared in an earlier study The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system was used to classify the prescribed drugs. Results: Eighty-one coinfected individuals participated in the study, with a mean age of 40 years old and numerous comorbidities. A total of 147 drugs were found and, when the frequency of prescription was evaluated, the most used therapeutic groups were anti-infectious, considering the large number of opportunistic infections (OIs) presented by coinfected patients, followed by feeding tract drugs used to treat adverse drug reactions. We could observe that 73% of the evaluated population had a CD4+ T lymphocyte count <200 cells/mm3 and a high viral load, indicating advanced immunodeficiency. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop strategies aimed at coinfected patients, such as specialized care, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of coinfection. It is also important to carry out more studies on the use of drugs among coinfected patients to create actions directed to this population that may contribute to the rational use of drugs.