Attitudes of HIV positive adults towards latent TB screening version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Attitudes and intended behaviour of HIV positive adults towards accepting screening and treatment for latent tuberculosis infection
IRAS ID
140738
Contact name
Manish Pareek
Contact email
Research summary
Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) occurs when a person breathes in TB bacteria which then lie dormant (latent, “sleeping“ TB). LTBI does not make people feel unwell, and they are not infectious. However, the TB bacteria lying dormant may “wake up“ if a person’s immune system gets weaker, for example, in people who have HIV infection. There are UK and international guidelines which recommend that people with HIV are screened for LTBI and if the screening test is positive, offered treatment to eradicate LTBI in order to prevent them from becoming sick with active TB later in life. Testing and treatment is done as part of the usual clinical care that patients receive at HIV outpatient clinics. We have not previously offered routine LTBI screening in our clinic. It is unknown whether this screening and treatment of LTBI is acceptable to HIV positive patients, and this will be examined in this study by way of a questionnaire. People will be provided with information about LTBI, and the proposed screening and treatment. They will then be asked to complete a questionnaire. The attitudes of the patients, and their intentions as to acceptance of screening and treatment, will later be compared with the results of the screening, and the outcomes of any treatment offered, in order to develop a screening model to better inform national guidance.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NW/0895
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion