A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON THE MORTALITY RATE OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) AND PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS (PTB) CO-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS IN NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Tuberculosis (TB) co-infection with HIV is becoming a global emergency especially in the sub-Saharan Africa. Its diagnosis is notoriously challenging in countries with poor resource settings with limited diagnostic facilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mortality rate of HIV/TB co-infection among the seropositive HIV individuals in Nasarawa state, Nigeria. A five year retrospective study from January 2007 to December 2011 was carried out using profiles of seropositive HIV individuals. A total of 3,470 case records of subjects were retrieved and pre-designed case record forms (CRF) were used to record vital information in demographic data, social and medical history, laboratory results, treatment access and mortality data. 841 (24.2%) individuals had HIV/TB co-infection. The age group 20-29 years had the highest prevalence rate (30.3%) with HIV/TB co-infection while females had higher prevalence rate (56.7%) throughout the five year period of study. Individuals with formal education had the least prevalence rate (21.9%) in all the years under review except in 2009 (35.9%) while individuals “not educated ” had the highest prevalence rate (41.1%) except in 2010 (36.0%).The married individuals had the highest prevalence rate (46.0%) followed by the single adults (26.0%). The unemployed individuals had the higher prevalence rate (52.6%) in four years while the employed rated 50.3 % in 2009. There was a rise in the number of individuals who had access to ATTB treatment from 2009-2011, while there was