TUBERCULOSIS

… Objective: The purpose of study is to know the admission rate and spectrum ofthe tuberculosis in children admitted in the pediatric unit of a high endemic country. Methodsand Material: This retrospective study was conducted at the Pediatric unit-I, Bahawal VictoriaHospital Bahawalpur. The records of children older than one month but below 15 years of agediagnosed as tuberculosis (TB) during the years 2007-2011 were reviewed and were includedfor the study. The data (age, sex, history of contact, BCG vaccination, tuberculin test, diagnosis)were entered on a proforma. Data were entered into SPPS version 13 (Statistical Packagefor Social Sciences) package were presented as rates and proportions. Results: There were72765 children (excluding children below the age of one month) admitted during the period offive years (2007-2011), out of which 847(1.16%) were diagnosed as tuberculosis. There was noconsistent fall in admission rate over the years due to TB cases. There were 61% male cases.The maximum cases were reported under the age of 4 years (46%). Out of total 847 TB casesBCG scar was present in only 410 (48.4%) cases. The history of contact with adult TB case wasfound in 243 (28.7%). Tuberculin skin test was positive (≥10mm) in 309 (36.5%) cases. Themost common forms of TB were tuberculous meningitis and pulmonary tuberculosis each accountingfor 37.5% cases. Other forms of tuberculosis included TB pleural effusion 12.5%, TBabdomen 7.1%, miliary TB 3.1% and TB arthritis 2.2%. Conclusions: The most common formof TB is meningitis and pulmonary each accounting for 37.5% cases and the maximum caseswere reported under the age of 4 years.