Baseline FASH Findings in Participants at an Urban Medical Center, Lilongwe, Malawi, Stratified by TB Category (N=181)
| Overall, No. (%) (N=181) | Unlikely TB, No. (%) n=125 | Probable/Confirmed TB, No. (%) n=56 | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pericardial effusiona | 36 (19.9) | 12 (9.6) | 24 (42.9) | <.001 |
| Pleural effusion | 9 (5.0) | 1 (0.8) | 8 (14.3) | <.001 |
| Ascites | 14 (7.7) | 5 (4.0) | 9 (16.1) | .01 |
| Abdominal lymphadenopathy | 15 (8.3) | 2 (1.6) | 13 (23.2) | <.001 |
| Liver lesions | 4 (2.2) | 3 (2.4) | 1 (1.8) | >.99 |
| Splenic lesions | 5 (2.8) | 2 (1.6) | 3 (5.4) | .17 |
| FASH positiveb | 70 (38.7) | 30 (24.0)c | 40 (71.4) | <.001 |
| FASH negative | 111 (61.3) | 95 (76.0) | 16 (28.6) | <.001 |
Abbreviations: FASH, focused assessment with sonography for HIV-associated tuberculosis; TB, tuberculosis.
↵a Trace pericardial effusions were excluded from the analysis due to unclear clinical significance.
↵b Any single finding of the protocol is positive.
↵c Positive FASH for unlikely TB subgroups: (1) low clinical suspicion with improvement=19/111; (2) low clinical suspicion without improvement= 5/8; (3) High clinical suspicion, treated, without improvement=6/6.