The evaluation of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of children with pulmonary tuberculosis

• Main Authors: Velat Şen, Ünal Uluca, Süreyya Yılmaz, Hadice Selimoğlu Şen, Tuba Tuncel, Ali Güne, Müsemma Karabel, Mehmet Fuat Gürkan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dicle University Medical School 2014-09-01
• Series: Dicle Medical Journal
• Subjects: Tuberculosis; lung; childhood
• Online Access: http://www.diclemedj.org/upload/sayi/33/Dicle%20Med%20J-02252.pdf
• ISSN: 1300-2945; 1308-9889

Objective: Pulmonary tuberculosis is an important health problem in pediatric patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical signs and treatment results of the children with pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods:Hospital records of 85 children with pulmonary tuberculosis which were diagnosis in Dicle University Medical Faculty, Pediatric Pulmonology Department, between the period of January 2008 and December 2013,were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Of 85 patients, 51.7% were girls with a mean age of 9.84±4.66 years (6 months-18 years).Ratio of patients that aged less than 5 years was 22.3%. The most prominent complaints were cough (81.2%), fever (55.2%), inappetence (47.1%), night sweats (38.8%), and weight lost (32.9 %). Sixty five of the patients (76.4 %) had a history of contact with adult patients with tuberculosis. BCG vaccine scarring was present in 70.6% of patients. Tuberculin skin test reactivity was present in 75.3%. Hilar lympadenomegaly (58.8%), primary focuscalsification (37.6%), and parenchymal infiltration (32.9%) were the most common radiographic findings. Conclusion: Pulmonary tuberculous is not a rare entity and remains an important infectious disease in children in our country. Early diagnosis and treatment of children with pulmonary uberculosis is important to protect late symptoms and to prevent contamination of healthy people.