ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common opportunistic infection experienced by HIV patients that can affect the success of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. This study aimed to determine the association between tuberculosis infection and loss to follow-up (LTFU) among HIV patients after ARV therapy initiation. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted by observing HIV patients in Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Indonesia who were diagnosed in 2015 for 39 months based on medical records data. The number of samples that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria was 170 patients. Kaplan Meier and Cox Regression were the statistical tests used to analyze data in this study. Results: The probability of HIV patients to retain in ARV therapy for 39 months was 90% among HIV co-infected TB patients and 84% among HIV without TB co-infection. However, no significant difference was found (p-value = 0.41). Most of the incidence of LTFU in both groups occurred in the first year after ARV initiation. Cox Regression analysis showed that TB infection did not have a significant relationship with the incidence of LTFU ARV therapy (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.18 – 2.08; p-value = 0.44). Conclusion: This study found that TB infection did not have a significant association with LTFU after ARV initiation. However, most of LTFU in both groups (the co-infection group and without TB co-infection) occurred in the first year of ARV therapy. Providing intensive counseling in the initial phase could increase the commitment of HIV patients for staying in ARV therapy.