The Global Burden of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Tuberculosis Infected Patients and Related Financial Aspects

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Approximately about 37 million people are infected by this virus with the rate of 1.2 million deaths per year. The mortality rate is high among HIV infected patients in the first 6 months of treatment.1 Immune deficient cases are at the high risk of any opportunistic infection. AIDS has been closely linked with tuberculosis (TB) disease, so almost one third of total mortality is related to this co-infection. In this regard, tuberculosis is used as a diagnostic index for AIDS.2 AIDS is not only associated with high mortality and morbidity, but it affects social life with related stresses and anxieties.3 Considering vast influence of HIV-TB over peoples’ lives, the present study aimed to estimate direct global burden of HIV infection on the patients with TB in a one-year period in 2014.