CONNECTION BETWEEN HIV and TUBERCULOSIS CO-INFECTION

 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONNECTION BETWEEN HIV/AIDS and TUBERCULOSIS

 

HIV & TB

One of the leading causes of death for those living with HIV is tuberculosis (TB). HIV weakens your immune system and increases your risk of getting dangerous bacterial illnesses like TB.

Though all individuals with HIV are thought to be at a high risk of developing TB, those who reside in places where the disease is more prevalent are at a higher risk. Testing frequently is advised. When TB in people living with HIV is identified, treated promptly, and treated early, it can be cured. Depending on your infection and the particular HIV meds you're taking, your treatment may change.

HIV-AIDS

TB and HIV Co-infection

 The phrase "coinfection" refers to having both an HIV infection and a TB infection at the same time. Both active and latent TB infections are possible.

When the amount of TB bacteria in your body is too low to produce any symptoms, you have a latent TB infection. Latent TB can persist for many years, or possibly your entire life. If you're healthy, a latent TB infection is kept under control by your immune system and never manifests as symptoms.

Your immune system is weakened by HIV. A latent TB infection may become active as a result of this. A TB infection that is active can be lethal. TB bacteria can also hasten the development of an HIV infection.

One of the top causes of death for people with HIV worldwide is TB. In comparison to TB alone, having HIV and TB doubles your chance of death. In nations with high TB prevalence, like India and South Africa, those with HIV are particularly at risk. Additionally, it impacts prisoners and people living in substandard or overcrowded homes disproportionately.

People who have developed an HIV infection in certain regions, such as Ukraine, Russia, and former United Socialist Soviet Republic countries, as well as South Africa and South-East Asia, are more likely to develop multi-drug-resistant and extensive drug-resistant TB.

TB-HIV Coinfection

Is HIV a symptom of tuberculosis?

 TB is not an indication of HIV. However, HIV can make a latent TB infection active. Latent tuberculosis infections can exist in people with sound immune systems, but they never become active and pose no health risks.

HIV can make a latent TB infection turn into a potentially fatal active TB infection because it impairs your immune system. Thus, even though TB is not an indication that a person has HIV, HIV usually leads to active TB.

HIV patients' options for testing for tuberculosis

 All individuals who have received a TB diagnosis or who are at risk of receiving a TB diagnosis should be tested for HIV, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rapid HIV testing is possible, and the typical turnaround time is 20 minutes.

The CDC also suggests that everyone who has a high risk of developing TB get tested for the disease. This encompasses those who:

 ·        Teenagers, kids, and babies who have been exposed to individuals who are at elevated risk or who have a TB infection.

·        may live or work in prisons,

·        long-term care facilities,

·        Homeless shelters, or other high-risk environments.

·        They may also have spent time with someone who has an active TB infection.

·        Reside in a country where tuberculosis is widespread,

·         have TB symptoms, and

·         have HIV

 

hiv-aids

In these cases, testing is often conducted once a year. Sputum, a mixture of saliva and mucus from your lower airways, smear and culture, or molecular tests like GeneXpert are all options for TB testing. HIV-positive people can safely choose either choice.

For those with HIV, molecular testing has also just become a possibility. Compared to conventional TB testing, these tests are able to diagnose TB more quickly and precisely. Additionally, they can discover drug-resistant TB strains. Urine testing and lung x-rays might be performed after successful molecular or conventional tests.

Takeaway

 HIV-positive individuals are more likely to develop TB infection. Your immune system can become weakened by HIV, which might lead a latent infection to become an active infection that could be lethal.

It's possible to treat TB in HIV-positive individuals, but doing so is crucial. It is advised that patients with HIV undergo TB testing at least once a year.

Whether you have an active or latent infection, as well as how you react to the medicine, will determine how you are treated for TB if you have HIV. If you have a drug-resistant TB infection, treatment could take years or as little as four months.

TB & HIV