Serial Clinical Screening for Active Tuberculosis among HIV-infected Kenyan Adults

Setting: Urban, non-governmental HIV outpatient clinic in Mombasa, Kenya.
Objective: To report outcomes and assess feasibility of serial clinical screening for active TB among adults enrolled in outpatient HIV care in a resource-limited setting.
Design: Longitudinal analysis of screening conducted during routine clinic visits of HIV-infected Kenyan adults. The provider-initiated screen included TB symptom assessment and targeted physical exam. Participants with >1 symptom/sign were to submit sputum for microscopy and undergo chest radiography.
Results: Over 33 months, 4,854 HIV-infected outpatients were serially screened for active TB at a median interval of 3 months. Treatment for active TB was started in 127 (2.6%). Of those 127, 77 (60.6%) were diagnosed based on first screen, and 50 (39.4%) were diagnosed thereafter. Among those 50 diagnosed upon subsequent screens, 28 (56%) were identified in association with positive screens, suggesting that 22% (28 of 127) of TB diagnoses could be attributed to the serial screening protocol.
Conclusion: Provider-initiated serial clinical screening during routine visits of HIV-infected outpatients continued to prompt treatment of active TB beyond initial screening. Serial screening strategies may lead to earlier TB treatment in patients receiving ongoing HIV care in resource-limited settings.