Tuberculosis and HIV infection. How to safely treat both disorders concurrently.

Progress has been made in screening, early recognition, prevention, and treatment of TB, but its coexistence with HIV infection continues to present a challenge. Healthcare professionals should be familiar with guidelines for treating HIV-infected patients with TB while concurrently administering highly active antiretroviral therapy. Primary care physicians are encouraged to consult specialists who are familiar with treatment of patients with such coexisting disease. Whenever feasible, directly observed therapy should be instituted in all cases of TB to promote compliance and reduce the incidence of drug resistance and treatment failure.