Yield of smear microscopy and radiological findings of male and female patients with tuberculosis in abuja, Nigeria

Objective. To describe the yield of smear-microscopy and radiological findings by male and female patients with symptoms of tuberculosis in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods. Patients ≥15 years old with cough for >3 weeks submitted 3 sputum samples for smear microscopy. One specimen was cultured using MGIT-960. All patients had lung X-rays and screened for HIV. Results. were more likely to be smear-positive than females (262/774 [34%] and 137/547 [25%], P < .01), but similar proportions of males and females were culture-positive (437/691 [63%] and 294/495 [59%], P = .09). 317/626 (50.6%) males and 249/419 (59.4%) females were HIV-positive (P < .005). Among culture-positives patients, HIV-infected males were less likely to have positive smears than HIV-negative males (49.2% versus 66%, P = .001). Among females, smear positivity did not vary with HIV (46.4% for HIV-positive and 52.9% for HIV-negative, P = .38). Of 274 culture-confirmed TB cases, 226 (82.5%) had cavities, and 271 (99%) had ≥1 lung areas affected. HIV-positive males were more likely to have lung cavities than HIV-positive females (85% versus 69%, P < .04) and to have ≥3 lung areas affected (P = .03). Conclusion. Differences in the yield of smear-microscopy, culture and X-rays on presentation are due to several factors including HIV coinfection and gender.