CO-INFECTIONS OF HIV AND PARASITES IN RELATION TO ANAEMIA AMONG TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS

Abstract

Tuberculosis is among the leading infectious diseases causing death among adults and youths. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of parasitic infections in relation to anaemia among tuberculosis (TB) patients in Benin City, Nigeria. A total of 151(82 males and 69 females) TB patients attending the Central Hospital, Benin City were enrolled in this study. Stool and blood specimens were collected from each participant. The parasites recovered from this study were Plasmodiumfalciparum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides stercoralisand Schistosoma japonicum. An overall prevalence of 18.5% and 57% of parasitic and HIV infections among TB patients was observed in this study. HIV status was a significant risk factor for anaemia among TB patients (P=0.017). Co-infection of HIV and parasitic infections was 22.1% among TB patients. Prompt diagnosis of parasitic and HIV infections in TB patients is advocated in order to improve their management and quality of life