Of them, 62 (92.5%) had ARF and required MV. The mean age of all patients was 43.2 ± 14.1 years and males slightly outnumbered female patients (55.2% vs. 44.8%). A history of previous TB was present in only 6 patients (9%). Comorbid illnesses were identified in 58 (86.6%) patients, with coinfection with HIV being the most common, present in 46 (68.7%) patients. The median CD4/ mm 3 count of these patients was 83 (range: 34 -145), and only 6 (13.0%) were receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) at the time of hospitalization. A history of alcoholism was present in 25 (37.3%) patients and 20 (30%) were current smokers. Demographic and clinical characteristics did not differ between the survivors and those that died (Table 1) .