The TB-HEART Study: prevalence of cardiac pathology among newly diagnosed patients with tuberculosis with and without HIV in Zambia

Background and Purpose

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) burden is rapidly increasing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where tuberculosis and HIV prevalence remain high.1-3 Recent data suggest pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is associated with increased CVD morbidity.4 However, the mechanisms of cardiac injury remain poorly understood.
The TB-HEART study is a cross-sectional and natural history study consecutively recruiting participants with newly-diagnosed PTB, living with and without HIV in Zambia. The primary outcome is the burden of cardiac pathology in PTB patients with and without HIV.

Methods

Participants with bacteriologically-proven PTB, consecutively recruited from an outpatient settings in Lusaka, Zambia, undergo detailed clinical and functional assessments including point-of-care and standard two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography.

Participants are reviewed at completion of TB treatment when all assessments are repeated. The target sample size is 250 participants with PTB, with and without HIV, matched 2: 1 to participants without PTB, stratified by HIV

Start date:  September 2022

Funded by Wellcome Trust