Table 1.
Demographics, clinical and microbiological characteristics of study patients stratified by TB diagnostic group
| All | Definite TB | Probable TB | Non-TB | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 457 | N = 82 | N = 115 | N = 260 | ||
| Demographics | |||||
| Median age (IQR) | 37 | 36 | 35 | 38 | NS |
| (31-44) | (32-41) | (29-44) | (31-45) | ||
| Female (%) | 241 (53) | 41 (50) | 63 (55) | 123 (52) | NS |
| Median CD4 count (cells/μL, IQR) | 55 | 41a | 43 a | 71* | <0.0001 |
| (18-153) | (15-88) | (17-128) | (24-180) | ||
| Previous TB (%) | 95 (21) | 12(15) | 26(23) | 57(22) | NS |
| Clinical features | |||||
| Cough >2 wks (%) | 446 (98) | 82(100) | 113(98) | 251(97) | NS |
| Drenching night sweats (%) | 299 (65) | 51(62) | 81(70) | 167(56) | NS |
| Weight loss (%) | 361 (79) | 68(83) | 92(80) | 201(77) | NS |
| Fever > 38 °C (%) | 334 (73) | 68 (82)a | 90 (78)a | 176(68)* | <0.005 |
| CXR compatible with TB (%) | 252 (55) | 61(74) | 76(66) | 115(44) | <0.0001 |
| Commenced on TB Treatment (%) | 218 (48) | 81(99)a | 115(100)a | 22(8)* | <0.0001 |
| TB treatment based on: | n = 218 | n = 81 | n = 115 | n = 22 | |
| Empirically (%) | 87(40) | 11(14)a | 60(52)a | 16(73)* | <0.0001 |
| LAM positive grades 1 and 2b | 104b (48) | 50(62)* | 48(42)* | 6(27)* | <0.005 |
| SSM | 16(7) | 11(14)* | 5(4)* | 0(0) | <0.005 |
| Culture | 11(5) | 9(11)* | 2(2)* | 0(0) | <0.005 |
| TB symptoms at 2 months for those on treatment | n = 218 | n = 81 | n = 115 | n = 22 | |
| Improved TB symptoms on treatment at 2 month follow-up | 137(63) | 54(66)* | 83(72)* | 0(0) | 0.003 |
| Died of TB before 2 months follow-up | 61(28) | 19(23)a | 32(28)a | 10(45) | 0.023 |
| Lost to follow-up on treatment | 2(1) | 1(1) | 0(0) | 1(5) | NS |
CXR Chest x-ray, LAM urine Lipoarabinomannan strip test, SSM sputum smear microscopy
P-values indicate significant differences between patient groups (marked with * to indicate comparison group) for different patients characteristics
* - Significantly different (p ≤ 0.05). a - Significant difference after combining two groups
NS Not significant (p > 0.05). b102 patients had LAM ≥2 positivity and 2 had grade 1 and attending clinicians insisted on commencing anti-TB treatment for these 2 patients