Urine TB Test Cuts Mortality in Patients With HIV Bedside test offers swifter diagnosis and more rapid treatment

An inexpensive urine test for tuberculosis reduced the risk of death among HIV-positive hospital patients in Africa, where the combined effect of the two diseases is a leading cause of mortality, researchers said. In a randomized controlled trial in four counties, the test was associated with a 17% relative risk reduction in all-cause mortality after 8 weeks, possibly because TB treatment was started more quickly and in more patients, according to Keertan Dheda, MBBcH, PhD, of the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and colleagues. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Tuberculosis/56655?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-03-10&eun=g721819d0r