Screening of tuberculosis in the clientel of new children's hospital, Cairo university

ABSTRACT

The work was done on 100 patients suffering from tuberculosis from the clientele of New Children's Hospital. Diagnosis of tuberculosis was based on the history of contact, the symptoms and signs suggestive of TB as well as the findings of positive tuberculin reaction, positive laboratory and radiological results in favor of this diagnosis. The age of the patients was ranging from 6 months to 12 years, 60% of which was below 6 years. It was found that pulmonary TB was more common than extrapulmonary TB [64% and 36% respectively]. The commonest type of extrapulmonary TB encountered was lymphadenitis. 22% of the patients were previously BCG vaccinated during infancy. A positive family history of TB was detected in 32% of the patients. 18% of the patients showed negative tuberculin test especially in emaciated patients with peritonitis. Combination of lesions were presented in 23% of patients. As regards extrapulmonary TB found that Pott's disease of the thoracic vertebrae and caseous peritonitis were the commonest skeletal and abdominal TB respectively, there was only one patient suffering from tuberculoma of the cerebellum. TB meningitis was not met in this study as there is no isolation section