Radiographic findings in pulmonary tuberculosis: the influence of human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The chest radiographs and medical records of 166 patients diagnosed as having clinically active pulmonary tuberculosis were reviewed. Forty-nine patients (group I) were seropositives to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and 117 patients (group II) did not have known risk factors for HIV infection. Roentgenographic abnormalities were analysed in the two groups, according to nine different radiographic patterns previously defined. The seropositive group had a significantly higher proportion of hilar and/or mediastinal adenopathy (P less than 0.001), infiltrates confined to the lower lung fields (P less than 0.05), and miliary tuberculosis (P less than 0.005). Otherwise, single cavitation and destructive pattern were more frequent in the group II. These data suggest that patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and HIV infection are much more likely to have atypical radiographic findings.