TB and HIV co-infection

TB and HIV co-infection is when people have both HIV infection, and also either latent or active TB disease. When someone has both HIV and TB each disease speeds up the progress of the other. In addition to HIV infection speeding up the progression from latent to active TB, TB bacteria also accelerate the progress of HIV infection.1

In 2013 of the estimated 9 million people who developed TB an estimated 1.1 million (13%) were HIV positive. There were also in 2013 360,000 deaths from HIV associated TB equivalent to 25% of all TB deaths, and around 25% of the estimated 1.5 million deaths from HIV/AIDS.2

HIV infection and infection with TB bacteria are though completely different infections. If you have HIV infection you will not get infected with TB bacteria unless you are in contact with someone who also is infected with TB bacteria. Although if you live in a country with a high prevalence of TB this may have happened without you realizing it. Similarly if you have TB you will not get infected with HIV unless you carry out an activity with someone who already has HIV infection, which results in you getting the virus HIV from them.

TB also occurs earlier in the course of HIV infection than many other opportunistic infections. The risk of death in co-infected individuals is also twice that of HIV infected individuals without TB, even when CD4 cell count and antiretroviral therapy are taken into account.