Prevalence and risk factors of tuberculosis among people living with HIV/AIDS in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in China. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. After the literature was screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, STATA(®) version 17.0 software was used for the meta-analysis. The heterogeneity among study data was assessed using I(2) statistics. Subgroup analysis and meta-regressions were performed to further explore the source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of 5241 studies were retrieved. Of these, 44 studies were found to be eligible. The pooled prevalence of HIV/TB co-infection was 6.0%. The risk factors for HIV/TB co-infection included a low CD4(+) T cell count, smoking, intravenous drug use and several other sociodemographic and clinical factors. Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination history was a protective factor. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of TB was observed among people living with HIV/AIDS in China. Low CD4(+) T cell count, smoking, and intravenous drug use were the primary risk factors for HIV/TB co-infection, whereas BCG vaccination history was a protective factor. Checking for TB should be prioritized in HIV screening and healthcare access. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Registered on PROSPERO, Identifier: CRD42022297754. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-023-08575-4.