RESUMO
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of TB among patients living with HIV in Patna district, India. It also assessed the factors contributing to co-infection and evaluated patients' quality of life. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre in Patna, India, for a period of eight months. The socio-demographic information was collected through a pre-defined semi-structured questionnaire administered by the interviewer during face-to-face interviews at the time of enrolment. Clinical details were obtained from the hospital records. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The study showed that out of 289 people living with HIV, 31% had TB as a co-infection. Male patients had a higher probability of contracting HIV-TB co-infection compared to female patients. The study indicated that advanced WHO staging, male gender, past history of TB, and opportunistic infections were strong predictors. Conversely, the odds of HIV-TB co-infection reduced with a CD4 count of over 300 cells/mm3. However, an increase in age, lower socio-economic status, BMI below the normal range, and presence of comorbidities might increase the odds of HIV-TB co-infection but were not statistically significant. The QoL of HIV-TB patients was significantly lower than that of HIV-only patients. CONCLUSIONS: People with low CD4+ T cell count are at a higher risk of developing TB due to HIV/TB co-infection. The baseline clinical staging of HIV is significantly correlated with TB co-infection. Those in WHO Clinical Stage III and IV have a four times higher risk of developing TB.