February 2009--High Mortality Among Patients with AIDS Who Received a Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in the First Three Months of Antiretroviral Therapy

Serena P. Koenig, Cynthia Riviere, Paul Leger, Patrice Joseph, Patrice Severe, Kea Parker, Sean Collins, Erin Lee, Jean W. Pape, and Daniel W. Fitzgerald

We analyzed mortality among 201 patients with AIDS and tuberculosis in Haiti. Patients who received a diagnosis of tuberculosis during the first 3 months after the initiation of antiretroviral therapy were 3.25 times more likely to die than were other patients with AIDS and tuberculosis. Failure to recognize active tuberculosis at initiation of antiretroviral therapy leads to increased mortality.

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