HIV SEROPREVALENCE RATE AND INCIDENCE OF ADVERSE SKIN REACTIONS IN ADULTS WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS RECEIVING THIACETAZONE FREE ANTITUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT IN YAOUNDE, CAMEROON

To determine the HIV seroprevalence in adult patients with pulmonary t uberculosis in Yaounde and to compare the incidence of adverse skin re actions in patients with and without HN infection receiving thiacetazo ne-free antituberculosis treatment, we studied 235 consecutive patient s aged 15 years or more admitted into the Chest Clinic of Hospital Jam ot in Yaounde with a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis from July 1 t o December 31, 1994, HIV testing was done using two ELISAs and confirm ed by Western blot. Each patient was monitored for adverse skin reacti ons to antituberculosis treatment during the two month initial phase o f therapy in hospital, Of the 235 patients studied, 156 (66%) were mal es (mean age: 33 years) and 79 were females (mean age: 30.3 years), Ov erall, 16.6% (39 cases) of the 235 patients were HIV seropositive. The prevalence of HIV infection was significantly higher in women (24%) t han in men (12.5%) (p = 0.02), Adverse skin reactions to antituberculo sis treatment were observed in eleven (4.7%) of the 235 patients, The incidence of the reactions was significantly higher in HIV seropositiv e (23.1%) than in HIV seronegative patients (1.0%) (p<10-7), Two HIV s eropositive patients who developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome died, The drugs incriminated for adverse skin reactions in the nine patients who survived were pyrazinamide (four cases) and rifampicin (five cases).