Comparison between childhood and adult tuberculosis in a rural tuberculosis unit of West Bengal: A retrospective study.
OBJECTIVE
Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality with different clinical presentations and outcomes as compared to TB in adults. The present study was designed to compare these differences and to determine if childhood TB was an important predictor of adverse outcome following treatment under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).


METHODS
Retrospective record based study of cases registered between January 2008 and December 2011, at the Amdanga TB Unit (TU), West Bengal.


RESULTS
Of the total 1,508 cases notified, 3.4% were childhood TB. Differences with adult TB were noted in the number of cases categorized as cat II and III in children (P = 0.012 and 0.000, respectively). New smear positive pulmonary TB was significantly lower (21.6%, P = 0.000), while new extra-pulmonary TB (39.2%, P = 0.000) was significantly higher in children. Smear negative cases comprised 7.8 and 11.4% of the childhood and adult cases of TB, respectively. Retreatment cases were significantly higher in adults (P = 0.012). Among the registered new smear positive cases, the differences in favourable and adverse outcomes did not have a significant statistical difference (P = .100). Childhood TB was not a significant risk factor for adverse outcome following treatment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28-2.32).


CONCLUSIONS
The registration of childhood TB under the RNTCP in the TU was low. There were differences in the clinical presentation and treatment outcomes of TB among children and adults. Childhood TB was not a significant predictor of adverse treatment following treatment.
Department of Health and Family Welfare. District Tuberculosis Officer, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India.
Abhijit
A
Mukherjee
CHRD-SAS, New Delhi, India.
Ranadip
R
Chowdhury
Department of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, Lala Ram Sarup Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi, India.
Rupak
R
Singla
Department of Community Medicine, IQ City Medical College and Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospitals, Durgapur, West Bengal, India.
Indranil
I
Saha
Senior Research Fellow (Medical), National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Rajib
R
Dutta
Department of Health and Family Welfare, Amdanga Tuberculosis Unit (TU), RNTCP, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Tapas
T
Das
Childhood; RNTCP; tuberculosis