Digital Clubbing in Tuberculosis and Its Relationship with HIV
Author Information
Author(s): Ddungu Henry, Johnson John L, Smieja Marek, Mayanja-Kizza Harriet
Primary Institution: Makerere University and Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence of digital clubbing in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and its association with HIV infection, disease extent, and nutritional status?
Conclusion
Clubbing occurs in up to one-third of Ugandan patients with pulmonary TB and is not associated with the stage of HIV infection, extensive disease, or hypoalbuminemia.
Supporting Evidence
- 30% of patients with pulmonary TB had digital clubbing.
- Clubbing was not associated with HIV serostatus.
- Clubbing was more frequent in patients with a lower Karnofsky performance scale score.
Takeaway
Doctors found that many people with tuberculosis in Uganda have a condition called clubbing, but it doesn't seem to be related to their HIV status or how severe their TB is.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with smear-positive TB at a public hospital in Uganda, assessing clubbing through clinical signs and DPD/IPD ratio measurements.
Potential Biases
The sample may be biased towards patients with earlier HIV disease due to the exclusion of sputum smear negative patients.
Limitations
The study was conducted at a single center, which may not represent all patients with pulmonary TB in Uganda, and excluded patients with sputum smear negative TB.
Participant Demographics
59% of participants were males, with a mean age of 32.6 years; 82% were HIV-infected.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.003
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 1.3 to 2.9
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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