[HIV infection and tuberculosis--result of a survey]

At the fall of 1989 a questionnaire was sent to 19 institutions particularly involved with AIDS. 17 (89 percent) responded at all, 11 (and one more additionally) delivered qualified data. Overall 8,518 persons with proved HIV infection of different stages were treated from 1987 to 1989 in institutions distributed over the whole Federal Republic and Westberlin. 94 of the HIV infected suffered from tuberculosis. The risk of tuberculosis was approximately equally high for males and females. It was elevated by the factor 7 to 11 in the early stages of the HIV infection (CDC-classification). The factor was 157 in stage IVB-E (AIDS). The risk was higher for male homo- or bisexuals compared with iv drug users. The rate of tuberculosis did not significantly increase from 1987 to 1989. There were much more cases with multiple sites or of extrapulmonary localisations, especially of peripheral lymph nodes in males and an unusual high percentage of bacteriological confirmation of cases with respiratory tuberculosis with an uncommonly low rate of positive sputum smears. Up to now epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Federal Republic will not be in general markedly influenced inspite of the high risk of HIV infected.