Post tuberculosis chronic lung disease in tuberculosis HIV coinfected and non-HIV individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Post tuberculosis (TB) sequelae are faced by many individuals who survive TB. The most common of all is post-TB chronic lung disease (CLD) and pulmonary impairment. We reviewed studies that estimated the prevalence of post-TB CLD in patients with TB only and those with TB-HIV coinfection.

METHODS

Searched Google scholar, PubMed, African journals online, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials from the year 2000 to 01 March 2022 for all designs of studies that examined the impact of post on lung impairment or damage. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, ID: chronic respiratory disease 42022304628.

RESULTS

Three hundred and thirty-six studies were identified and five studies were identified through other sources, four were finally in the meta-analysis with a total of 4382 enrolled participants. All the studies had a low risk of bias; The prevalence of CLD between the TB HIV coinfection and those with TB only was of no statistical significance between the three of the four studies - new statement: the prevalence of CLD in the TB-HIV coinfected group when compared to the group of participants with TB only was not statistically significant in the study. This was seen in three of the four studies. One study was in favor of the high prevalence of CLD in HIV coinfection participants (relative risk [RR] = 0.75 [0.61-0.89] with 95% confidence interval [0.61-0.89]).

CONCLUSIONS

Post-TB lung disease is still a burden that needs advocation and an increase of awareness is necessary from the health-care level to the communities and societies, especially in regions of high prevalence. Development of guidelines for health-care workers to aid the management of individuals, multi-disciplinary advocacy is necessary for those whom prevention is not too late.