AEGiS-UPI: HIV patients on HAART, cut TB risk

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

HIV patients on HAART, cut TB risk

United Press International - November 12, 2005

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- People taking highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, for HIV infection may be less susceptible to tuberculosis, say U.S. researchers.

Although opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis can be fatal for immunocompromised patients, HAART not only reduces the viral load of HIV, but it also often helps to keep other infections such as tuberculosis under control.

In fact, previous studies indicate that HAART can reduce the risk of tuberculosis in HIV patients by 70 percent to 90 percent.

A group of European and U.S. researchers followed patients with HIV for three years after they began HAART. The rate of tuberculosis was highest within the first three months of therapy, but declined after longer HAART exposure. Patients' risk of developing tuberculosis more than doubled if HAART did not successfully control their HIV.

The findings are published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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