Delay in seeking care for tuberculosis symptoms among adults newly diagnosed with HIV in rural Malawi.

ABSTRACT:

Setting

Ten primary health clinics in rural Thyolo District, Malawi.

Objective

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common initial presentation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We investigated the time from TB symptom onset to HIV diagnosis to describe TB health-seeking behaviour in adults newly diagnosed with HIV.

Design

We asked adults (18 years) about the presence and duration of TB symptoms at the time of receiving a new HIV diagnosis. Associations with delayed health seeking (defined as >30 and >90 days from the onset of TB symptoms) were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

TB symptoms were reported by 416 of 1265 participants (33%), of whom 36% (150/416) had been symptomatic for >30 days before HIV testing. Most participants (260

SUBMITTER: Ngwira LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5824850 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature