Among those individuals living with HIV infection, the risk of progression from LTBI to active TB disease is higher than that for those not infected with HIV. This makes TB a leading cause of death among the HIV-infected population.
An individual infected with LTBI and untreated HIV infection has a 10 times greater risk of progression to TB disease than those who are not infected with HIV. (Recall the risk of progression may be as high as 10% over a lifetime for the general population.)
This risk is reduced with antiretroviral therapy for HIV; however, the risk of progression to active TB remains high in this population.
