Chest radiographic findings of pulmonary tuberculosis in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients in a teaching hospital in Kano Northwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common infections to occur in the course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and remains a global emergency despite substantial investment in health services. Aim: This study aims to determine the spectrum of chest X-ray findings in patients with HIV/TB coinfection. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of the clinical and radiographic features of pulmonary TB (PTB) in 244 confirmed HIV-seropositive patients aged 9 months to 80 years. Descriptive statistics was employed in analyzing mean percentages and frequencies. Level of statistical significance between clinical findings, radiographic findings, age group, and gender was determined using z-test. Statistical significance was set atP ≤ 0.05. Results: The study constituted of 104 (42.62%) males and 140 (57.38%) females with mean age of 31.62 ± 16.93 years. The major clinical features among HIV-related PTB patients in this study are cough in 56.6% patients, chest pain in 11.44% patients, weight loss in 10.26% patients,P < 0.05. Chest X-rays with normal findings were found in 60.0% patients, while primary patterns of PTB such as reticulonodular opacities occurred in 16.61% patients, typical post primary patterns such as background cystic/fibrotic changes were found in 3.39% patients, and miliary pattern in 2.73% patients. The age group 26–38 years was frequently involved in TB coinfections in both sexes,P < 0.001. The percentages of males and females with TB infection were 40.98% and 56.15%, respectively. Conclusions: Normal chest X-rays constitute the major findings; primary and postprimary patterns of PTB account for the least findings with the age group 26–38 years as the most occurring (91, 37.30%). Females were more frequently involved in TB coinfection. The preponderance of normal radiographs does not exclude the presence of TB coinfection.