Document Type
Article
Department
Faculty of Health Sciences, East Africa
Abstract
Objectives: 1) To explore the utility of tuberculosis (TB) symptom screening for symptoms of ⩾2 weeks’ duration in a routine setting, and 2) to compare differences in TB diagnosis between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected and non-HIV-infected pregnant women in western Kenya.
Design: Comparative cross-sectional study among pregnant women with known HIV status screened for TB from 2010 to 2012, in Eldoret, western Kenya.
Results: Of 2983 participants, respectively 34 (1%), 1488 (50.5%) and 1461 (49.5%) had unknown, positive and negative HIV status. The median age was respectively 30 years (interquartile range [IQR] 26–35) and 26 years (IQR 24–31) in HIV-infected and non-infected participants. A positive symptom screen was found in respectively 8% (119/1488) and 5% (67/1461) of the HIV-infected and non-infected women. The median CD4 count at enrolment was 377 cells/μl (IQR 244–530) for HIV-infected women. One non-HIV-infected patient was sputump ositive. For HIV-infected women, TB was presumptively treated in 1% (16/1488) based on clinical symptoms and chest X-ray. Cumulatively, anti-tuberculosis treatment was offered to 0.6% (17/2949) of the participants.
Conclusion: This study does not seem to demonstrate the utility of TB symptom screening questionnaires in a routine setting among pregnant women, either HIV-infected or non-infected, in western Kenya.
Publication (Name of Journal)
Public Health Action
Recommended Citation
Kosgei, R. J.,
Szkwarko, D.,
Callens, S.,
Gichangi, P.,
Temmerman, M.,
Kihara, A.,
Sitienei, J. J.,
Cheserem, E. J.,
Ndavi, P. M.,
Reid, A. J.,
Carter, E. J.
(2013). Screening for tuberculosis in pregnancy: do we need more than a symptom screen? Experience from western Kenya. Public Health Action, 3(4), 294-298.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_obstet_gynaecol/334
Comments
This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.