Viral Load and CD4+ Markers as Determinants of Tuberculosis Coinfection Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Papua Indonesia

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) infection causes mortality among People Living with HIV (PLHIV), so the treatment of TB-HIV coinfection is crucial. The study aimed to identify the determinants contributing to TB coinfection among PLHIV in Papua. It is a descriptive-analytic study with a cross-sectional design involving 188 PLHIV at the four hospitals in Papua. CD4+ was carried out using CD4+ counter and viral load using the qPCR technique. A logistic regression test and R statistic with a significance level of 0.05 were used to analyze the determinants of TB coinfection among PLHIV. PLHIV having CD4+ count of fewer than 350 cells/mm3 had a 17.8 times higher risk for TB-HIV coinfection, P-value = 0.0. In addition, a viral load of more than 10 000 copies/ml will be 12.1 times more likely to be co-infected with TB-HIV compared to those who have a viral load of fewer than 10 000 copies/ml, P-value = 0.0. CD4+ markers and viral load are factors that play a role in TB coinfection among PLHIV in Papua Province.