Resistencia a fármacos antituberculosis en pacientes coinfectados con tuberculosis y virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana, en un hospital de referencia de 2007 a 2010 en Cali (Colombia)

Background: Resistance to anti-tuberculosis treatment is a matter of great interest in terms of public health. TB/HIV coinfection changed what was previously known about TB. Our study attempts to determine the prevalence of resistance to TB drugs among a local TB/HIV population. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, which consisted of a review of the clinical records of new and relapsing cases of TB/HIV coinfected patients, with drug susceptibility tests, who attended an advanced medical care centre in Cali, Colombia, between 2007 and 2010. Results: Just over half (52%) of the patients were native from Cali, and 8% were from Buenaventura. An extra-pulmonary presentation of TB was seen in 80% of the subjects. Almost half (48%) were HIV positive before the diagnosis of tuberculosis was made, 40% of whom were on HAART treatment. Of the total cases, 16% were relapses, including one case of multi-drug resistant (MDR)-TB. Among the new cases, 14% were resistant to isoniazid only, making a total of 28% being resistant to this. Conclusions: There was a higher than expected prevalence of resistance in TB/HIV patients. There is an urgent need to improve the team work between public health organizations and private medical institutions, and this cooperation should be of great priority, as it is a means to control and promote early diagnosis with drug-susceptibility tests.