Tuberculosis among children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases - case series.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic patients have a higher frequency of tuberculosis(TB) than the general population. This study aimed to describe children and adolescents with TB and rheumatic diseases(RD) who were being treated in a reference center. METHODS: A series of TB cases were investigated in a reference center for childhood TB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1995 to 2022. RESULTS: Fifteen patients with underlying RD and TB were included with 8(53%) being female. The mean age at RD diagnosis was 7.10years (SD ± 0,57 years), and the mean age at TB diagnosis was 9.81 years(SD ± 0.88 years). A total of 9 cases of pulmonary TB(PTB) and 6 cases of extrapulmonary TB-pleural(2), joint/osteoarticular(1), cutaneous(1), ocular(1), and peritoneal(1)- were described. The RD observed in the 15 patients included juvenile idiopathic arthritis(9), juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus(3), juvenile dermatomyositis(1), polyarteritis nodosa(1), and pyoderma gangrenosum(1). Among the immunosuppressants/immunobiologics, methotrexate(8) was the most commonly used, followed by corticosteroids(6), etanercept(2), mycophenolate mofetil(1), cyclosporine A(1), adalimumab(1), and tocilizumab(1). The most common symptoms were fever and weight loss, and a predominance of PTB cases was noted. GeneXpert MTB/RIF® was performed in six patients and was detectable in two without rifampicin resistance; Xpert Ultra® was performed in five patients, and traces with indeterminate rifampicin resistance were detected in three. One female patient discontinued treatment, and another passed away. CONCLUSIONS: The case series demonstrated the importance of suspecting and investigating TB in RD affected patients who are using immunosuppressants/ immunobiologics, particularly in countries with high rates of TB such as Brazil.

Tuberculosis in children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases using biologic agents: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a bibliographic review on tuberculosis (TB) disease in children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases, being managed with biologic therapy. DATA SOURCE: An integrative review with a search in the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (PubMed) using the following descriptors and Boolean operators: (["tuberculosis"] AND (["children"] OR ["adolescent"]) AND ["rheumatic diseases"] AND (["tumor necrosis factor-alpha"] OR ["etanercept"] OR ["adalimumab"] OR ["infliximab"] OR ["biological drugs"] OR ["rituximab"] OR ["belimumab"] OR ["tocilizumab"] OR ["canakinumab"] OR ["golimumab"] OR ["secukinumab"] OR ["ustekinumab"] OR ["tofacitinib"] OR ["baricitinib"] OR ["anakinra"] OR ["rilonacept"] OR ["abatacept"]), between January 2010 and October 2021. DATA SYNTHESIS: Thirty-seven articles were included, with the total number of 36,198 patients. There were 81 cases of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), 80 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), and four of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). The main rheumatic disease was juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Among LTBI cases, most were diagnosed at screening and none progressed to TB disease during follow-up. Of the TB cases using biologics, most used tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (anti-TNFα) drugs. There was only one death. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a low rate of active TB in pediatric patients using biologic therapy. Screening for LTBI before initiating biologics should be done in all patients, and treatment, in cases of positive screening, plays a critical role in preventing progression to TB disease.

Clinical forms and diagnosis of tuberculosis in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to describe the clinical forms and the time taken to diagnose new tuberculosis cases and to statistically analyze the isolated and combined forms of the disease in children and adolescents treated at a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that used retrospective data on children (0-9 years old) and adolescents (10-18 years old) with pulmonary (PTB), extrapulmonary (EPTB), and combined tuberculosis (PTB + EPTB) followed up at the outpatient clinic from January 2019 to March 2021. Categorical data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and expressed as frequency and proportions. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test, and numerical variables using Student's T-test. RESULTS: A total of 51 cases were included, 63% (32/51) of which comprised patients in the year of the pandemic (group A), while 37% (19/51) were patients attended in previous years (group B). In group A, 19% (6/32) of the patients presented PTB, 59% (16/32) had EPTB, and 31% (10/32) had PTB+EPTB. In group B, 42% (8/19) of the patients presented PTB, 42% (8/19) had EPTB, and 16% (3/19) had PTB+EPTB. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed more tuberculosis cases in the first year of the pandemic than in the same period of the previous year, with greater variation of sites affected by the disease, including rarer and more severe forms.

Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children and adolescents: comparison of two versions of the Brazilian Ministry of Health scoring system.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance between two versions of the scoring system (2011 and 2019), recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in children and adolescents. A retrospective descriptive study was performed to assess the medical records of children and adolescents with PTB, in TB units from Brazilian cities located in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Parana States, from January 1 st , 2004, to December 1 st , 2018. Patients aged 0 to 18 years old with a diagnosis of PTB were included. The comparison between the two scoring systems showed a moderate concordance according to the κ coefficient value = 0.625. Fourteen patients showed a reduction in the TB score, going from 30 points in the 2011, to 25 points or less in the 2019 one. Seventy one percent of these 14 patients had radiological changes suggestive of PTB and 86% had tuberculin skin tests greater than 10 mm. The study concluded that a moderate agreement was observed between the 2011 and 2019 scoring systems, with an increase in the number of patients scoring 25 points or less in 2019, which can eventually hinder the diagnosis of PTB.