TB/HIV co-infections and associated factors among patients on directly observed treatment short course in Northeastern Ethiopia: a 4 years retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) are the leading independent global causes of death among patients with infectious diseases. Additionally, due to the shared immune defense mechanisms, they are the leading cause of co-morbidities globally. However, little information was found regarding the proportion of TB/HIV co-infection in the study area. Thus, this study determined the proportion and associated factors of TB/HIV co-infection. METHODS: All TB patients treated from January/2011 to December/2014 were included in this study. Data were collected from three health centers namely; Kobo, Robit and Gobiye. Data were entered, cleared, and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Frequency, percentage, median and range were used to present the data. To assess the associated factors, logistic regression was employed. RESULTS: Of the total 990 TB patients enrolled in the study, 98.2 % were screened for HIV; of these, 24.3 % were co-infected with TB and HIV. The odds of having TB/HIV co-infection were 3.4 times higher among in the age group of 25–45 years compared to older (≥45 years) age TB patients (OR = 3.4; 95 % CI 2–5). Moreover, the odds of having TB/HIV co-infection were 2.8 and 1.7 times higher among smear positive and smear negative patients with pulmonary TB respectively than patients with extra pulmonary TB. Of 236 co-infected patients, 71.2 % took co-trimoxazole preventive therapy and 76.3 % took antiretroviral treatment. CONCLUSION: TB/HIV co-infection is one of the serious public health problems in the study area. Thus, Collaborative TB/HIV activities that reduce the co-morbidities and mortalities should be addressed.