Epidemiology of HIV-Associated Tuberculosis in Urumqi, China

• Xinjiang is one of the regions that suffer from the most serious AIDS epidemic in China.
• Xinjiang is also a region that suffers from a high incidence of TB.
• To reduce the morbidity and mortality of TB/HIV dual infection in Xinjiang, at the end of 2011the whole region launched in Urumqi screening of TB and HIV/AIDS patients for HIV and tuberculosis, respectively.
• Epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors of people with HIV/TB dual infection were analyzed, thus providing the basic data for prevention and control of TB and HIV.

The aim of this work was to understand the epidemiologic characteristics of TB and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dual infection cases, thus providing the basis for effective prevention and control measures. On the basis of HIV/TB screening of new and old TB and HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients registered in 4 regions of Urumqi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China, from 2012 to 2014, an analysis was made of the epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors of people suffering from HIV/TB dual infection. A total of 2,645 TB patients were tested for HIV antibodies, of whom 128 tested positive, showing a detection rate of 4.8%; TB patients ≥35 years old had 0.26 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18–0.40) the risk of HIV infection than those 18–35 years old, and pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB patients with positive smear had, respectively, 0.43 times (95% CI, 0.28–0.66) and 1.79 times (95% CI, 1.09–2.94) the risk of HIV infection than those with negative smear. And 1,195 HIV/AIDS patients were screened for TB, of whom 91 were positive, showing an infection rate of 7.6%; male HIV/AIDS patients had 12.2 times (95% CI, 6.4–23.1) the risk of TB infection than female patients, and HIV/AIDS patients with CD4 cells ≤200/μL had 20.4 times (95% CI, 11.8–35.3) the risk of TB infection than those with CD4 cells >200/μL. TB and HIV/AIDS patients in Urumqi from 2012 to 2014 suffered from high HIV and TB infection rates, so relevant measures should be taken to intervene, especially for TB patients ≥35 years old, those with positive smear, extrapulmonary TB patients, male HIV/AIDS patients, and those with CD4 cells ≤200/μL.