Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2012 Sep;22(3):239-247.

Clinical Characteristics of Tuberculosis in School-Age Children and Adolescents at a Single Institution

• Yang SH
• Chu MA
• Park HJ
• Lee KH
• Kim JK
• Choi EJ
• Lee KH
• Kim WT
• Chung HL

Abstract

PURPOSE
In the present study, we investigated the clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in school-age children and adolescents, which is important as a reservoir for future disease burden.
METHODS
Ninety patients, aged from 6 to 18 years, who were diagnosed and treated with tuberculosis during the period from January 2005 to July 2011, were enrolled. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records and investigated clinical characteristics of the patients.
RESULTS
Eight patients were 6 to 12 (9%) and 82 were over 13 years of age (91%). There was a significantly higher percentage of males than females in the latter age group (P<0.01). Route of infection was not confirmed in 74 patients, and 16 patients were diagnosed through the school or military medical examinations with no clinical symptoms. Seventy patients (78%) were presented with pulmonary tuberculosis. Chronic persistent coughing was the most common presenting symptom, and both upper lobes were most frequently involved. Nineteen patients over 13 years of age had adult-type cavitary tuberculosis. The positive results for acid-fast smears or cultures were not high, and the rate of positive tuberculin skin test was 88%. The most frequent adverse effects of anti-tuberculosis treatment were hepatotoxicity, hyperuricemia, and gastrointestinal disorders. The duration of the treatment was much prolonged in 8 patients who had drug-resistant tuberculosis.
CONCLUSION
Our study showed that pulmonary tuberculosis should be suspected in the adolescents who have prolonged respiratory symptoms. It also indicates that pulmonary tuberculosis in adolescents has similar characteristics to tuberculosis in adults, which suggests the potential important role of adolescent tuberculosis in community disease transmission.

Keyword

Tuberculosis; School-age; Adolescents

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Child
Cough
Female
Humans
Hyperuricemia
Male
Medical Records
Military Personnel
Retrospective Studies
Skin Tests
Tuberculin
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
Tuberculin

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