title: Differences between pediatric extra-pulmonary and pulmonary tuberculosis: a warning sign for the future.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem. The childhood tuberculosis has some unique features different which makes the diagnosis more complicated. Here we described the epidemiologic, clinical and microbiologic features of children with extra pulmonary and pulmonary TB.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of the patients <14 years with active TB were collected and compared in pulmonary (PTB) and extrapulmonary TB (EXPTB) patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 128 cases was included. Forty-two cases occurred in children were < 5 years of age; 41 cases between 6-10 years and 45 cases > 10 years. PTB was present in 75,0% of the cases, and EXPTB was present in 25% of cases. There was no significant difference between the EXPTB and PTB by means of distribution of age groups (p=0,201). The rate of patients free of constitutional symptoms were significantly higher in EXPTB compared to PTB(p=0,000). There was no significant difference between EXPTB and PTB by means of sources detection(p=0,069).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TB is still a major public health problem. EXPTB has an insidious and silent onset without any constitutional symptoms, and both microbiological confirmation and the source by an adult are not frequently found. Moreover, detection of the adult source is mandatory for controlling the TB disease in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Devrim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aktürk
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nuri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bayram
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hurşit
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Apa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sener
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tulumoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Devrim
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tülin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Erdem
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gamze
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gulfidan
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yüce
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ayhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tamsel
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Unit, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Can
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüdaver
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alper