TUBERCULOSIS AND HIV-INFECTION, REPORT OF 32 CASES

160 HIV infected patients have been admitted to this Infectious Diseas es Clinic during a five years period (1988-1992), 32 of them simultane ously suffering from tuberculosis (TB). We reviewed these 32 cases (20 %) : the large majority were caucasian (96,87 %), there was 24 males (75 %) and eight females (25 %), the mean age being 33,03 +/- 11,34 ye ars. The risk factors for retroviral infection were drug addiction (65 ,62 %), multiple heterosexual partners (21,88 %) and home/bisexual beh aviour (12,50 %). TB thoracic involvment was present in 15 patients (4 6,87 %), extra-thoracic in 8 (25 %) and disseminated disease in 9 (28, 12 %). Ziehl-Nielsen disclosed acid-fast bacilli in 20 cases, and in 1 7 the M. tubercubsis grew on culture. Antituberculous therapy schemes were quite variable but they always included isoniazid and rifampin. I n 13 patients (40,63 %), tuberculosis was the presenting criterion for AIDS.