Hs. Schaaf et al., RESPIRATORY TUBERCULOSIS IN CHILDHOOD - THE DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF CLINICAL-FEATURES AND SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS, The Pediatric infectious disease journal, 14(3), 1995, pp. 189-194
During a 16-month period children presenting to a pediatric outpatient
facility from an area with a high tuberculosis incidence (>400/100 00
0) and suspected of having respiratory tuberculosis (TB) were evaluate
d for close contact with adult pulmonary tuberculosis, weight loss, sy
mptom duration, respiratory signs, lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomeg
aly and by chest radiography and tuberculin testing (Mantoux or tine).
Probable tuberculosis was diagnosed in 258 children and was confirmed
in 109 (42%) patients with a mean age of 31 months by culture of Myco
bacterium tuberculosis from gastric aspirate or another source. Eleven
children with confirmed TB had a normal chest radiograph. After revie
w of special investigations, clinical course and follow-up of the rema
ining 149 children, 86 children (58%) with a mean age of 32.4 months w
ere considered to have probable TB and 63 (42%) with a mean age of 27
months not to have TB. Significantly fewer children in the ''not TB''
group than in the confirmed and probable TB groups had a close adult p
ulmonary tuberculosis contact (13 (21%) and 95 (49%), respectively; P
< 0.01). There was no difference between the ''not TB'' group and the
confirmed and probable TB groups in the proportion presenting with wei
ght loss, cough or other respiratory symptoms, a symptom duration >2 w
eeks, the presence of bronchial breathing, wheeze, hepatomegaly or spl
enomegaly or peripheral lymphadenopathy. Final diagnoses in the ''not
TB'' group included bacterial or viral pneumonia or bronchopneumonia i
n 37, asthma often accompanied by segmental collapse in 9 and cavitati
ng pneumonia in 3 children. On the one hand children in whom there wer
e sufficient criteria to be considered probable cases of TB were subse
quently thought not to have TB; on the other hand 11 (10%) of children
with TB confirmed by culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from gastr
ic aspirate had a normal chest radiograph.