COVID-19, HIV AND TUBERCULOSIS: RISKS AND THREAT OF TRIPLE COINFECTION

Abstract

The crossing of COVID-19, HIV and Tuberculosis diseases in countries with a high burden of HIV and TB infections presents several challenges to public health in the 21st century, hitherto never described, and potentially fatal.Objective: to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic aspects of patients co-infected with COVID-19, HIV and tuberculosis. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review, descriptive and qualitative approach, in Google Scholar, PubMed, SciELO and LILACS databases, using the descriptors “COVID-19 and Co-infection; COVID-19, HIV and Tuberculosis”. Results: 6 articles were included. Most patients with triple co-infection were male, with a mean age of 43.5 years. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, headache, myalgia and asthenia. The main laboratory changes included decreased CD4 levels, high viral load, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, decreased hemoglobin levels, increased C-reactive protein levels, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, increased D-dimer and hyperferritinemia. Imaging findings such as left apical infiltrates, irregular perihilar opacities, cavitations, pleural empyema, ground glass and nodular opacities were frequent. The lethality was 2.6%. Conclusion: The present study showed that COVID-19 associated with HIV/TB are more common in men and there was a tendency for coinfected patients to develop a moderate or severe condition, including the need for hospitalization. Therefore, it is essential that health professionals are updated and trained in the management of patients with HIV/TB coinfection when associated with coronavirus infection, with a view to improving the prognosis.