Evaluation of the followed up patients with childhood tuberculosis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is still a major reason for mortality and morbidity. This study aims to evaluate followed up patients with childhood tuberculosis. METHODS: 109 applied patients were taken into this study. Personal and familial demographics, laboratory, clinical and radiological examinations and the treatments of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: 50.5% of the patients were male, 50% of the patient were from rural area and 69.7% of the patients had low income. The smoking rate at the house was 58.3%. There was intrafamiliar contact at 23.9% of the patients and extrafamiliar contact at 2.8%. The most frequent complaints of the patients were cough and fever. The most involvement area of the tuberculosis was lungs. PPD was positive at 60.5% of the patients, whereas BCG score was positive at 44% of the patients. The most seen direct graphy and tomography findings were hillar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. 12.9% of the patients demonstrate Acid resistant bacilli (ARB) positivity with minimal method and reproduction detected at 17% of cultures. Positive results were obtained from 33,3% of the 36 patients, which Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed. In 12 case, diagnosis was made by biopsy. The adaptation of the patients to the treatment was 90% and full recovery ratio was 81.6%. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis is a serious public health subject within crowded and low education and socioeconomic level families. Intrafamilial and extrafamilial contacts are risk factor for children. Diagnosis ratio with culture, which is a golden standard for diagnosis, is low and because of this reason, alternative diagnosis methods are needed.

Keywords

• tuberculosis
• acidoresistant bacilli
• tuberculin skin test
• lung graphy