Tuberculosis among HIV-positive patients across Europe: changes over time and risk factors

OBJECTIVE:: To describe temporal changes in the incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) (pulmonary or extrapulmonary) among HIV-positive patients in western Europe and risk factors of TB across Europe. METHODS:: Poisson regression models were used to determine temporal changes in incidence rate of TB among 11¿952 patients from western Europe (1994-2010), and to assess risk factors for TB among 12¿673 patients from across Europe with follow-up after 2001. RESULTS:: Two hundred and seventy-seven TB events occurred during 84¿221 person-years of follow-up (PYFU) in western Europe. The incidence rate declined from 1.91 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.51-2.37)] in 1994-1995 to 0.12 (0.07-0.21)/100 PYFU in 2002-2003, and remained stable thereafter. After January 2001, 159 TB events were diagnosed; 65 cases in western Europe and 94 cases in eastern Europe; resulting in incidence rates of 0.12 (0.09-0.14) and 0.65 (0.52-0.79)/100 PYFU, respectively. In multivariable analysis, incidence rate of TB was approximately four-fold higher in eastern Europe compared with western Europe [incidence rate ratio (IRR) 4.25 (2.78-6.49), P¿