Clinical Study

Correlates of Delayed Diagnosis among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Pulmonary Tuberculosis Suspects in a Rural HIV Clinic, South Africa

Table 3

Comparison of sociodemographic and clinical factors of participants with TB diagnosis delay.

CharacteristicDiagnosis delay number (%)No delay number (%) value

Patient age
 18 to 40 years33 (42.9)54 (64.3) 0.006**
 >40 years44 (57.1)30 (35.7)
Sex
 Female49 (62.9)58 (69.0)0.403
 Male29 (37.1)26 (31.0)
Marital status
 Divorced13 (16.9)13 (15.4)0.592
 Married25 (32.5)21 (25.0)
 Never married27 (35.1)38 (45.2)
 Widowed12 (15.5)12 (14.3)
Occupation status
 Salaried worker9 (11.7)7 (8.3)0.538
 Unemployed and willing to work21 (27.3)29 (34.5)
 Unemployed and not willing to work47 (61.0)48 (57.2)
Smoke cigarette
 No57 (74.0)66 (78.6)0.410
 Yes20 (26.0)18 (21.4)
Alcohol drinking
 No57 (74.0)65 (79.3)0.434
 Yes20 (26.0)17 (20.7)
Education level
 No education16 (20.8)14 (16.7)0.320
 Primary37 (48.0)33 (39.2)
 Secondary23 (29.9)33 (39.3)
 Tertiary1 (1.3)4 (4.8)
Main material walls of house
 Block cement38 (49.3)47 (56.0)0.377
 Brick19 (24.7)22 (26.1)
 Mud20 (26.0)15 (17.9)
Method of TB diagnosis
 Clinical history and CXR19 (24.7)19 (22.9) 0.025**
 Sputum AFB12 (15.6)28 (33.7)
 Sputum culture46 (59.7)36 (43.4)
WHO-HIV clinical stage
 12 (3.6)2 (2.9) 1.000
 29 (16.4)16 (23.5)
 342 (76.4)44 (64.8)
 4 2 (3.6)6 (8.8)
CD4 count (cells/mm3)
 <504 (6.9)1 (1.8)0.193
 50–20015 (25.9)10 (17.9)
 >20039 (67.2)45 (80.3)
Viral load (copies/mL)
 ≤40031 (60.8)39 (81.3)0.025**
 >40020 (39.2)9 (18.7)
BMI (Kg/m2)
 Underweight16 (25.4)15 (22.4) 0.828
 Normal weight34 (53.9)38 (56.7)
 Overweight12 (19.0)11 (16.4)
 Obese1 (1.5)3 (4.5)
ART use at PTB diagnosis
 No38 (50.0)62 (77.5)≤0.001**
 Yes38 (50.0)18 (22.5)
TB treatment outcome
 Completed treatment 41 (52.5)45 (53.6) 0.640
 Died7 (9.1)7 (8.3)
 Lost to follow up 14 (17.9)20 (23.8)
 Still on treatment16 (20.5)12 (14.3)

** value ≤ 0.05.