Clinical Presentation of Tuberculosis and the Degree of Immunodeficiency in Patients with HIV Infection

A retrospective study of 80 HIV patients diagnosed with tuberculosis was carried out in order to evaluate the clinical presentation of tuberculosis (CPT) in relation to the degree of HIV-induced immunodeficiency, as determined by the CD4 lymphocyte count and reactivity to the tuberculin and delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DHR) skin tests by applying 2TU of RT-23 tuberculin, and the Muiltest IMC Merieux, respectively. CPT classification was undertaken on the basis of the location of the disease: pulmonary tuberculosis (PT), distinguishing between typical pulmonary (TP) and atypical (AP) according to the radiological pattern; extrapulmonary (ET); mixed tuberculosis (MT) pulmonary and extrapulmonary; and miliary tuberculosis. The CD4 lymphocyte count was 264.6 +/- 226.8, the TP had the highest number (505), MT had 132 (p < 0.001) and the miliary tuberculosis had 148 (p < 0.001), the lowest. The tuberculin skin test was positive in 35%, of which 11% were MT (p < 0.05). In the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, 67% were non-normoergic, of which 95% and 100% were MT and miliary tuberculosis, respectively (p < 0.05). There was a good overlap between CD4 depletion and skin tests. TP exhibited moderate immunodeficiency, AP severe immunodeficiency, and mixed and miliary TB extremely high immunodeficiency.