Burden and outcome of Childhood Tuberculosis at a Tertiary Health Facility in North-Central, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a disease of public health importance owing to its contribution to morbidity and mortality. It is a chronic infectious respiratory disease that is vaccine preventable and therapeutically curable. Besides, TB is a leading cause of death across all age groups but worse among children. Malnutrition has been shown to be a common risk factor of childhood tuberculosis. Objectives: The burden and treatment outcome of childhood TB was determined. Methods: A retrospective study of childhood tuberculosis using purposely kept register at both the Emergency Paediatrics Unit (EPU) and the Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) centre of the Hospital. We included children aged < 18 years either admitted at the EPU or seen at the Paediatric and or General outpatient department of the Hospital from 1st January 2019 to the 31st December 2019, with presumptive TB and sent to the DOTS centre for treatment. Results: The mean age of the children was 7.7±3.2 years. Childhood TB accounted for 88 (7.1%) of the 1243 EPU admissions and accounted for 25.2% of the TB cases managed at the DOTS unit in 2019. Of the 88 children, males were 49. More of the patients (84.1%) had pulmonary tuberculosis. Gene Xpert TB detection rate was 60.2%. Two - third (65.9%) of the cohort were successfully treated. One – quarter (26.1%) of the cases were loss to follow – up, while 8% died on treatment. Conclusions: One quarter of the burden of tuberculosis at our facility occurred in childhood, and two – third had pulmonary affectation. Approximately two third of these study population were successfully treated. One quarter was loss to follow-up, while one out of every twelve died during the course of treatment.