A new method of diagnosing tuberculosis in people with HIV is being introduced in Almaty

November 30, 2021

For the first time in Kazakhstan, in the city of Almaty, in a pilot mode, the introduction of a new method of early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in people living with HIV (PLHIV) has begun.

At the Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS in Almaty, with the support of the Almaty Model for HIV Epidemic Control project, early diagnosis of tuberculosis in PLHIV using a special TB LAM test has become available. This method is recommended by WHO as an additional method for early diagnosis of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in patients with an unexpressed clinical picture.- “Early diagnosis of tuberculosis and timely treatment started help to preserve the life and health of PLHIV. After all, HIV infection is the strongest risk factor for the development of TB and the main cause of death for HIV-positive people, ”said Marat Tukeyev, head physician of the Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS.Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) urine test strips are easy-to-use and free to diagnose TB among PLHIV and advanced HIV. Another argument in favor of the new diagnostic method is that patients with HIV often have a lower bacterial load in sputum, which leads to an increase in the frequency of negative microscopy results.

Marina Maximova

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