Population characteristics of tuberculosis in an HIV/AIDS registry from an East Harlem Hospital.

Overview

The recent increase of tuberculosis nationally and in New York City has been attributed in part to the progression of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) epidemic. The East Harlem/South Bronx/Bushwick sections of New York City have an especially high incidence of tuberculosis. An HIV/AIDS registry (1986-1990) consisting of 1,312 patients from a community hospital serving East Harlem was examined for population characteristics associated with documented tuberculosis in the registrants. Tuberculosis affected males more commonly than females and was observed in comparable frequency in patients with AIDS-related complex (ARC) (12.9%) and AIDS (15.0%). The proportion of cases in blacks (18.3%) was significantly greater than that in Hispanics (10.4%, chi 2 = 15.196, p = 0.0003) or whites (8.7%, chi 2 = 5.62, p = 0.0171). Among intravenous (IV) drug users, the proportion of tuberculosis cases was also significantly higher in blacks than in Hispanics. These data could be consistent with a difference in exposure to tuberculosis and/or the purported racial susceptibility of blacks to tuberculosis infection. A review of new tuberculosis cases in East Harlem also suggests that blacks are at a greater risk for developing tuberculosis than Hispanics.