Abstract

Paediatric tuberculosis is often underdiagnosed due difficulty in obtaining microbiological diagnosis and variable and diverse presentations. The aim was to study the clinical profile of tuberculosis in children. Methods: This is a prospective study of children (0-18 years), diagnosed as active tuberculosis (microbiologically confirmed or clinically proven) in the IPD/OPD of a tertiary care hospital in Pune. Results: Total 110 cases (Males- 43) were studied out of which 32.7% had pulmonary, 50% extrapulmonary and 17.27% had disseminated disease. Of the patients with extra pulmonary disease, TB lymphadenopathy (32.7%) was the most common presentation followed by TB Pleural Effusion (23.6%) and TB Meningitis (12.7%). 3 cases of reactivation tuberculosis in previously treated cases were found. Fever (68.18%) was the most common presenting complaint followed by constitutional symptoms (appetite loss- 40%, weight loss-36.6%). 23 patients (20.9%) were known contacts of TB cases. 24.5% of the cases were undernourished and 8.18% had immunocompromised. 1 case was HIV positive; 4 cases were unimmunised with BCG. Conclusion: The clinical profile of paediatric TB was found to be highly variable and diagnosis requires higher index of clinical suspicion.

Description

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