Prevalence of Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis in children at a tertiary care Pediatric Hospital.

Shweta Sakpal; Dr. Gaurav Salunke

Volume : VIII, Issue : IX, September - 2019

Prevalence of Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis in children at a tertiary care Pediatric Hospital.

Shweta Sakpal, Dr. Gaurav Salunke

Abstract :

Introduction: India might alone account for one-fourth of the world�s tuberculosis burden, but the prevalence of childhood tuberculosis (TB) in India is not known. Non-specific symptoms and difficulty in diagnosis interfere with early detection of extra pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) in children, hence it is often overlooked. Methodology: A 6 months, cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted in children aged 0 – 15 years with tuberculosis disease. Then prevalence of EPTB in children was determined and associated risk factors analysed. Results: This study showed that EPTB formed 53.95% of all TB cases. Tuberculosis lymphadenitis was the most prevalent form of EPTB (8%). Conclusion: The present study establishes that diagnosis of EPTB is challenging in children, with high rates of extra-pulmonary disease in them.