Timing is 'crucial' for TB and HIV treatment

Scientists have found that the timing of administering drug treatments to those with both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) is critical.

A team from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health revealed in a study published by The New England Journal of Medicine, that the death rates for those with both illnesses depended on when Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) began.

The study was undertaken because both HIV and TB are so common in sub-Saharan Africa, 70 per cent of those treated for TB have HIV.

In an investigation involving 642 patients, the team embarked on ART four weeks into treatment for TB for one group, while another was offered ART three months into treatment for TB.

A third test was planned to wait for TB treatment to be completed prior to starting ART but this was abandoned when it became clear that it would have poorer results.

"We found that the later initiation of ART actually cut the risk of an adverse reaction called IRIS (immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome) [in those with higher T-cell counts] by about half and lowered significantly the need to switch antiretroviral drugs because of side effects," noted Dr. Karim.