CLINICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY CHARACTERISTICS OF DISSEMINATED EXTRAPULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN AIDS PATIENTS - STUDY OF 103 CASES DIAGNOSED ON THE CADIZ PROVINCE

Tuberculosis constitutes a public health problem that has become more serious in the past couple of years primarily due to the pandemic of h uman immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This estudy analyzes the evolutiona ry, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics of the extrapulmonar y and disseminated forms of tuberculosis (TBD/E) in AIDS patients diag nosed in the province of Cadiz. Data for 103 patients who manifested b oth diseases were gathered prospectively. The prevalence of TBD/E was 30 percent among patients with AIDS. The primary risk factor was addic tion to parenteral drugs (91 percent). Seventy-five percent of the pat ients were diagnosed with disseminated forms of the illness and 25 per cent with extrapulmonary forms. The organs affected tended to be lymph atic ganglions and the lungs. Worthy of note is the lateness in seekin g medical attention (45.6+/-4.5 days; range: 4-240 days). We conclude that tuberculosis constitutes a common pathology with an appreciable m ortality in AIDs patients. Disseminated forms of tuberculosis predomin ate and may adopt a wide range of clinical manifestations. The latenes s with which patients seek medical attention is a fact worth emphasizi ng.