Table 2. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients by GeneXpert status (n = 274)*.
| GeneXpert positive (n = 44) n(%) | GeneXpert negative (n = 230)n(%) | p-value** | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Female | 28 (63.6) | 146 (64.8) | 0.86 |
| Male | 16 (36.4) | 80 (34.8) | |
| Unknown | 0 | 1 (0.4) | |
| Age | |||
| 18–29 | 16 (36.4) | 49 (21.3) | <0.01 |
| 30–44 | 17 (38.6) | 70 (30.4) | |
| 45–59 | 10 (22.7) | 55 (23.9) | |
| 60–74 | 1 (2.3) | 40 (17.4) | |
| 75+ | 0 | 16 (7.0) | |
| HIV status | |||
| Positive | 35 (79.5) | 111 (48.3) | <0.01 |
| Negative | 7 (15.9) | 88 (38.3) | |
| Unknown/not recorded | 2 (4.5) | 31 (13.5) | |
| Low CD4 count (<350 cells/mL)† | 18 (94.7) | 48 (65.8) | 0.01 |
| TB risk factors and symptoms†† | |||
| Previous TB | 13 (29.6) | 47 (20.9) | 0.21 |
| Current or recent cough | 37 (86.1) | 142 (61.7) | <0.01 |
| Current or recent weight loss | 38 (86.4) | 134 (58.5) | <0.01 |
| Current or recent fever | 31 (70.5) | 118 (51.5) | 0.02 |
| Current or recent loss of appetite | 32 (74.4) | 107 (47.1) | <0.01 |
| Current or recent night sweats | 26 (59.1) | 96 (42.5) | 0.04 |
| Total symptoms | |||
| 0–2 symptoms | 10 (22.7) | 105 (45.7) | <0.01 |
| 3–5 symptoms | 32 (72.7) | 120 (52.2) | |
| Not recorded | 2 (4.6) | 5 (2.2) | |
| Admitted to hospital in past year | 5 (11.4) | 58 (25.7) | 0.05 |
| Ever served time in a prison | 2 (4.8) | 15 (6.7) | 1.00 |
| Ever worked in a mine | 0 | 8 (3.6) | 0.36 |
| Ever lived in a household with a TB patient | 12 (27.3) | 56 (25.1) | 0.76 |
*Study personnel reviewed admission files, ward files and patient charts to collect demographic and clinical data. Prior to the availability of laboratory results, research staff administered a participant questionnaire containing items concerning TB history, symptoms, possible TB exposure, and risk factors.
**Pearson’s chi-square (excludes unknown values); Fisher’s exact test used when one or more cells contained a value of ≤5.
†Among HIV+ patients for whom a CD4 count was available (92, 63%); n(GeneXpert positive) = 73 n(GeneXpert negative) = 19.
††Unless otherwise noted, proportions exclude missing values; missing values comprised <5% of total for all variables.