Search

Background. Timely initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) is a critical component of the case management of patients with HIVassociated tuberculosis (TB) and advanced immunodeficiency. We sought to determine the impact of the introduction of providerinitiated HIV-testing in TB clinics in 2005 on subsequent referrals of patients with HIV-associated TB at a community-based ART service in Cape Town. Methods. Retrospective analysis of an ART cohort database (2002 - 2008) stratified by calendar periods. Results. Between 2002 and 2008, 3 770 ART-naive adults enrolled in the ART service. Overall, 27.4% of these patients had been referred from TB clinics with a diagnosis of HIV-associated TB. This proportion increased from 16.0% of referrals in the period 2002 - 2005 prior to the introduction of provider-initiated HIV testing, to 34.7% in 2007 - 2008 (p