AIDS patients with tuberculosis: characteristics and trend of cases reported to the National AIDS Registry in Italy--1993-2010.

BACKGROUND

The co-infection of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continue to be a severe problem in the European region. We estimated the extent of this phenomenon in Italy, describing and analysing the characteristics of persons with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and TB reported to the National AIDS Registry.

METHODS

We analysed the cases of TB reported to the National AIDS Registry in Italy since 1993, the year in which TB was introduced as an AIDS-defining disease.

RESULTS

From 1993 to 2010, 45,403 cases of AIDS were reported; among these, 4075 (8.9%) had TB (any location). Since 1993, there has been a progressive increase in the proportion of persons with TB, from 6.8% in 1993 to 11.0% in 2010. Men accounted for 76.3%; the median age at diagnosis was 35 years (interquartile range: 31-42 years), and 34.1% were non-nationals. Compared with AIDS cases without TB, AIDS cases with TB were significantly associated with young age (≤33 years), being non-Italian, having heterosexual contacts, living in the south of Italy, being a late tester and being alive at the time of data analysis. The proportion of non-nationals increased from 10.8% in 1993 to 64.6% in 2010. The incidence of AIDS and TB among non-nationals for the whole study period was 2.97 cases per 100,000 non-nationals, compared with 0.11 cases per 100,000 Italians.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that the occurrence of TB among persons with AIDS is also increasing in Italy, with an increasing proportion of non-nationals, and emphasize the need to undergo HIV screening for all persons diagnosed with TB.