[HIV seroprevalence in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis in Yaounde, Cameroon]

To determine current seroprevalence of HIV in adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Yaounde, Cameroon, we prospectively studied 671 consecutive patients aged 15 years or more, admitted to the chest clinic of Jamot Hospital from July 1994 to December 1995. All sera were screened for HIV antibodies by ELISA and positive sera were confirmed by western blotting. A total of 113 of the 671 patients (16.8%) were positive. There was no significant difference between the overall rate of HIV seropositivity in men and women. However 20.5% of women aged 15 to 24 years were HIV positive as compared to only 5.6% of men in the same age group (p < 0.01). The seroprevalence rate was also significantly higher in patients living in urban than rural areas (p < 0.02). There was no significant difference between HIV seropositive and seronegative patients with respect to marital status, level of education, or criminal record. Blood transfusion had been performed in 9.7% of seropositive patients as compared to 4.5% of seronegative patients (p = 0.02).