Specific parameters for formation of the tuberculosis risk group among children with HIV infection in a big city

Abstract

The objective of the study: to establish specific parameters for formation of tuberculosis risk group in HIV positive children of 0-17 years old in order to plan tuberculosis prevention activities.Subjects and methods. The main statistical rates on tuberculosis, HIV infection and their combination in children of 0-17 years old for 2009-2018 were studied. All new cases of TB/HIV co-infection were analyzed in children of 0-17 years old in Moscow for 2004-2018.Results. While the incidence of tuberculosis and HIV infection among children has been decreasing in Moscow over a 10-year period (2009-2018), the group with advanced risk to develop tuberculosis due to HIV infection is growing, both due to children born by HIV positive women (by 1.8 times), and children with confirmed HIV infection (by 2.1 times), which is partly explained by intensive migration in the big city.In the structure of the followed up of children with HIV infection, it has been established that the number and proportion of the following categories tend to grow: children above 8 years old; those at the stage of secondary diseases and advanced stages of HIV infection; and migrants from other regions.In 2004-2018, the combination of tuberculosis and HIV infection was detected most often among children aged 8-11 years (14/34; 41.2%), who had not previously been tested for HIV infection, and among people who had lived outside of Moscow before the disease was detected (16/34; 47.1%). The most severe forms of HIV/TB co-infection including fatal ones, were also observed among children from the migrant population without regular medical follow-up.