Background and purpose: According to recent news, patients with concurrent tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are increasingly common worldwide. This study aimed to investigate whether TB/HIV co-infected patients are visiting Hokkaido.
Method: We conducted a questionnaire survey regarding foreign patients infected with TB or TB/HIV who visited Hokkaido between January 2001 and September 2014. We mailed questionnaires to health centers, AIDS treatment care hospitals, and TB hospitals in Hokkaido prefecture.
Results: Seventy-one TB patients were of foreign nationality according to the answers obtained from health centers. Most of them were foreign students or occupational trainees between 20-30 years old. Approximately half these patients were from East Asia, and 7 patients were from Africa. As 21 % of the patients with TB who visited medical examination were over 1 month from disease onset, and the delay in visiting was recognized. The TB infection was mostly detected coincidentally during the physician visit. In the hospital survey, four TB patients with HIV were of foreign nationality. They were also of the age group from 20-30 years and hailed from sub-Saharan Africa.
Discussion: During immigration, medical examination by performing a chest radiograph is important. If the immigrant hails from an area where TB and HIV co-infection is common, it is necessary to confirm whether HIV infection is present.