New data from M. Shamaei et al illuminate research in HIV/AIDS co-infection
2009 JUL 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to recent research from Iran, "Socioeconomic problems limit the access of drug users to health-care services. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out by making use of the medical records of new case tuberculosis (TB) patients hospitalized at Masih Daneshvari Hospital, the national referral centre in Iran, from 2003 to 2006." "Demographic and personal characteristics of the patients and type of disease were collected and categorized. Of the 944 patients with confirmed TB, 143 (15.1%) were drug users, among whom 140 (97.9%) were men with just three women drug users. The mean age of the drug users group was 43.04 +/- 13.81 years. The type of drug used was opium in 100 cases (69.9%), heroin in 29 (20.3%), opium and heroin together in four (2.8%) and all three, opium, heroin and crack, in two (11.4%). For 238 high-risk patients, an HIV test was performed and HIV infection was confirmed in 33 cases. delay was longer in drug users (P = 0.000) against other patients, whereas diagnosis delay was shorter (P = 0.007). Drug susceptibility tests were performed for 515 patients with positive cultures. One hundred and thirty-three (14.1%) were found to have 'any resistance' to anti-TB drugs, and 10 (1.1%) individuals had multidrug-resistant TB. Twenty-six (19.5%) of the individuals who showed resistance to first-line agents were drug users. There was no significant relation between drug resistance and drug use (P = 0.4). it seems that active case finding for TB and HIV in addict cases must be contained in harm reduction packages," wrote M. Shamaei and colleagues. The researchers concluded: "Moreover, the manifestations of the disease should be considered seriously regardless of attributing them to drug use." Shamaei and colleagues published their study in International Journal of STD & AIDS (Drug abuse profile - patient delay, diagnosis delay and drug resistance pattern - among addict patients with tuberculosis. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 2009;20(5):320-323). For additional information, contact M. Shamaei, Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Publisher contact information for the International Journal of STD & AIDS is: Royal Society Medicine Press Ltd., 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE, England. Keywords: Iran, HIV/AIDS Co-Infection, AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Addiction Medicine, Cutaneous Tuberculosis, Drug Development, Drug Resistance, HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Bacterial Infection, Infectious Disease, Mental Health, Mycobacteria, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Therapy, Treatment, Virology. This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, AIDS Weekly via NewsRx.com.
|
