Cross-Sectional Analysis of TB-HIV Coinfection in Brazilian Municipalities

Abstract

TB-HIV is a challenge for the public health system, especially in regions in socioeconomic development. The purpose of the study is to identify social, health-disease and health care aspects of people with TB-HIV coinfection who underwent tuberculosis treatment. It is a cross-sectional study carried out in two large Brazilian municipalities located, both, in the state of Paraíba. It had as a population all patients coinfected with TB-HIV with diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in 2016. From cadastral sampling, 35 people participated. The data were from July to October 2017, from semi-structured interviews, with a questionnaire that included social, health-disease and health care variables. The bivariate analysis was performed using SPSS v.13.0. There was a predominance of males in the young-adult phase, low schooling, with exposure to violence. It was also evidenced the impediment of carrying out occupational activities after becoming ill, late diagnoses of tuberculosis, lack of antituberculostatic and antiretroviral drugs. Exposure to violence, withdrawal from occupational activities and lack of medication during treatment were unpublished findings and were configured as challenges that probably discourage therapeutic adherence and make it difficult to control both ailments. These results reveal the need for intersectoral actions with the purpose of developing strategic actions that contribute to the reduction of social inequalities and, consequently, to the control of grievances.