Evaluation of pulmonary tuberculosis diagnostic tests in children and adolescents at a pediatric reference center.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates the performance of individual and combinations tests used for pediatric tuberculosis diagnosis at a reference center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diagnostic test outcomes from children with presumed pulmonary tuberculosis evaluated from January 2005 - July 2010 were compared to a standard diagnosis made by an expert panel of physicians. RESULTS: Presence of at least one sign/symptom, history of contact, or abnormal chest X-ray (aCXR) individually showed the highest sensitivity (85.7%). While the combination of history of contact, at least one sign/symptom, positive tuberculin skin test, and aCXR had low sensitivity of 20%, but the specificity and a positive predictive value were 100%, respectively. The combination of tests used in the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the Brazilian Ministry of Health systems showed sensitivity of 28.6% and 71.4% and specificity of 95.8% and 97.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of a gold standard, the combination of clinical history, tuberculin skin test, and aCXR, as well as the Brazilian scoring system serve as simple, low-cost approach that can be used for pediatric TB diagnosis by first-contact care providers.

Tuberculosis in childhood and adolescence: a view from different perspectives / Tuberculose na infância e adolescência: um olhar sob perspectivas diferentes

Abstract Objective To describe the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in children under 19 years of age in Brazil and to review the latest publications on disease risk, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Source of data Notifiable Diseases Information System (2018), World Health Organization estimates, and PubMed articles selected using the descriptor "Tuberculosis," delimited by type of study, period, age, and language. Synthesis of data In 2018, in Brazil, 9.4% of notifications were in children under 19 years. The pulmonary form predominated in 80.1% of the cases. The cure rate was 76.8%, lethality was 0.8%, and abandonment was 10.4%. The prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (2011-2016) was 0.5%. It has been found that the risk of disease can reach up to 56% in children under 5 years, influenced by helminth co-infections, malaria, chronic viral infections, live attenuated virus vaccines, and hypovitaminosis D. Exposure to a bacilliferous patient for periods shorter than 30 minutes is sufficient for the development of infection and/or disease. In Brazil, microbiological screening is recommended, but the use of the scoring system, modified in 2019, has been maintained. Studies on infection detection have supported the use of the tuberculin skin test. In the treatment, the great advance was the introduction of dispersible formulations, adjustment of the recommended doses, and shortened regimens for latent infection. Several vaccine studies (stages 1-3) are ongoing, but no BCG-licensed substitute has been implemented yet. Conclusions There has been progress in treatment, but major challenges need to be overcome to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and outcome of cases, aiming to eliminate tuberculosis.

Resumo Objetivo Descrever a situação epidemiológica da tuberculose nos menores de 19 anos no Brasil e revisar as últimas publicações sobre risco de adoecimento, diagnóstico, tratamento e prevenção. Fonte dos dados Banco de notificação Brasil (2018), estimativas da Organização Mundial da Saúde e artigos do PubMed selecionados pelo descritor Tuberculosis, delimitaram-se tipo de estudo, período, idade e língua. Síntese dos dados Em 2018, no Brasil, 9,4% das notificações foram nos menores de 19 anos. Predominou a forma pulmonar em 80,1% dos casos. A taxa de cura foi de 76,8%, letalidade 0,8% e abandono 10,4%. A prevalência de tuberculose drogarresistente (2011 a 2016) foi 0,5%. Encontrou-se que o risco de adoecimento pode chegar até 56%, nos menores de cinco anos, influenciado por coinfecções com helmintos, malária, infecções virais crônicas, vacinas de vírus vivos atenuados e hipovitaminose D. A exposição ao doente bacilífero por períodos menores de 30 minutos é suficiente para o desenvolvimento de infecção e/ou doença. No Brasil, recomenda-se a pesquisa microbiológica, porém mantem-se o uso do Sistema de Pontuação, modificado em 2019. Estudos sobre detecção da infecção respaldaram o uso da prova tuberculínica. No tratamento, o grande avanço foi a introdução das formulações dispersíveis, adequação das doses preconizadas e esquemas encurtados para infecção latente. Vários estudos de vacinas (fases de 1 a 3) estão em andamento, mas ainda sem substituto licenciado para a BCG. Conclusões Observaram-se progressos no tratamento, porém ainda há grandes desafios para melhorar o diagnóstico, monitoramento e desfecho dos casos em busca da eliminação da tuberculose.

Tuberculosis in childhood and adolescence: a view from different perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in children under 19 years of age in Brazil and to review the latest publications on disease risk, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. SOURCE OF DATA: Notifiable Diseases Information System (2018), World Health Organization estimates, and PubMed articles selected using the descriptor "Tuberculosis," delimited by type of study, period, age, and language. SYNTHESIS OF DATA: In 2018, in Brazil, 9.4% of notifications were in children under 19 years. The pulmonary form predominated in 80.1% of the cases. The cure rate was 76.8%, lethality was 0.8%, and abandonment was 10.4%. The prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (2011-2016) was 0.5%. It has been found that the risk of disease can reach up to 56% in children under 5 years, influenced by helminth co-infections, malaria, chronic viral infections, live attenuated virus vaccines, and hypovitaminosis D. Exposure to a bacilliferous patient for periods shorter than 30minutes is sufficient for the development of infection and/or disease. In Brazil, microbiological screening is recommended, but the use of the scoring system, modified in 2019, has been maintained. Studies on infection detection have supported the use of the tuberculin skin test. In the treatment, the great advance was the introduction of dispersible formulations, adjustment of the recommended doses, and shortened regimens for latent infection. Several vaccine studies (stages 1-3) are ongoing, but no BCG-licensed substitute has been implemented yet. CONCLUSIONS: There has been progress in treatment, but major challenges need to be overcome to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and outcome of cases, aiming to eliminate tuberculosis.

Critérios de pontuação para diagnóstico de tuberculose em crianças / Diagnosis scoring system for tuberculosis in children

Muitos casos de tuberculose na infância são subnotificados pela dificuldade do diagnóstico na criança. O diagnóstico da tuberculose nessa faixa etária se baseia na presença de contato com adulto bacilífero, associado à prova tuberculínica reatora, sintomas sugestivos de tuberculose e alterações radiológicas. Os escores diagnósticos são estabelecidos através da combinação desses achados. Este artigo é uma breve revisão de diversos escores propostos na literatura para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pulmonar em crianças. Existem vários escores propostos mundialmente, com concordância entre eles de moderada a fraca. Segundo a última revisão sistemática sobre os diversos escores disponíveis no mundo, o sistema que tem mais estudos de validação, com consistentes sensibilidades e especificidades, é o do Ministério da Saúde do Brasil. É imperativa a existência de técnicas ou sistemas diagnósticos mais eficazes, rápidos e de baixo custo para o diagnóstico de tuberculose na infância e com validação no local de sua aplicação. Porém, até lá, sugerimos que os escores diagnósticos sejam utilizados de acordo com as normativas locais, como triagem diagnóstica para uma avaliação criteriosa com o especialista, evitando-se diagnósticos tardios ou equivocados. Em locais onde há escassez de especialistas, profissionais bem treinados poderão utilizar os escores disponíveis para diagnosticar adequadamente a maioria dos pacientes.

Childhood tuberculosis is underreported, because of the difficulty in diagnosing tuberculosis in children, in whom the diagnosis is based on a history of contact with active tuberculosis in an adult, positive tuberculin skin test results, symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis, and radiological alterations. Diagnostic scores are established by evaluating those findings inconjunction. In this review, we discuss a number of such scores that have been proposed.Various scores for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children have been proposed, with only moderate to weak concordance among them. The most recent systematic review of the scores available worldwide showed that the Brazilian National Ministry of Health has sponsored more validation studies, with consistent sensitivity and specificity, than has anyother such system. Techniques or diagnostic systems for childhood tuberculosis that are more efficient, rapid and affordable should be developed and validated for use at the target locale. In the interim, we suggest that diagnostic scores be employed in accordance with local regulations, such as screening through careful evaluation by a specialist, avoiding delayed or inconclusive diagnoses. Where there is a shortage of such specialists, well-trained professionals, using the available scores, will be able to diagnose tuberculosis adequately in the majority of patients.

[Study of 312 children with meningitis treated at a University Hospital in the South of Brazil]. / Estudio de 312 niños con meningitis atendidos en un Hospital Universitario en el Sur de Brasil.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and laboratorial aspects, as well as the etiological profile and the evolution characteristics, of the diverse types of severe meningitis treated at a Pediatric Clinic of a public university hospital. From a descriptive and retrospective study, 312 children at the Pediatric Clinic of the Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Paraná were evaluated between January 2003 and January 2007. All of them had a probable diagnosis of meningitis based on clinical signs, and on the cytological and biochemical alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid routine examination. Viral meningitis (VM) was present in 140 children (45%), 58 had bacterial meningitis (BM - 19%) and etiology was undetermined in 114 (36%). In MB, Neisseria meningitidis was the most frequent etiological agent (25 cases). Predominant clinical symptoms were fever, sickness and headache. The cerebrospinal fluid test showed a high number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, high protein and low glucose level in MB; mononuclear cells were predominant in VM. Neurological complications were more frequent in BM, and convulsion the most common symptom (6/58 patients). Death happened to one case in VM and 3 in BM. Our conclusions were that the classical triad (headache, vomiting and fever) was the most common clinical manifestation, the cytological and biochemical abnormalities were typical, helping in the differentiation of MB from VM, although a good number of cases ended up with no etiological definition and, finally, immediate neurological complications and death were rare.

Estudio de 312 niños con meningitis atendidos en un Hospital Universitario en el Sur de Brasil / Study of 312 children with meningitis treated at a University Hospital in the South of Brazil

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar los aspectos clínicos, análisis de laboratorio, el perfil etiológico y las características evolutivas de los distintos tipos de meningitis aguda atendidos en un Servicio de Pediatría de un Hospital Público Universitario. Fueron evaluados a partir de un estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo de niños atendidos en el Servicio de Pediatría del Hospital de Clínicas de la Universidad Federal del Paraná, durante el periodo entre enero 2003 a enero 2007, con el diagnóstico probable de meningitis basado en manifestaciones clínicas y en alteraciones citológicas y bioquímicas del LCR. Se diagnosticó meningitis viral (MV) en 140 niños (45%), meningitis bacteriana (MB) en 58 (19%) y en 114 la etiología fue indeterminada (36%). Entre las MB el agente etiológico más frecuente fue Neisseria meningitidis (25 casos). Lo datos clínicos predominantes fueron fiebre, vómitos y cefalea. En el LCR de la MB hubo predominio de polimorfonucleares, proteína elevada y glucosa baja. En la MV predominaron los mononucleares. Las complicaciones neurológicas fueron más frecuentes en la MB, siendo la convulsión el hallazgo más común (6/58 pacientes). El óbito ocurrió en un caso en la MV y tres en la MB. Se llegó a la conclusión de que la clásica tríada fue la manifestación clínica más común, las anormalidades citológicas y bioquímicas fueron típicas auxiliando en la diferenciación entre las MB y MV, aunque un gran número de casos haya quedado sin definición etiológica; las complicaciones neurológicas inmediatas y los óbitos han sido pocos frecuentes en esta muestra.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and laboratorial aspects, as well as the etiological profile and the evolution characteristics, of the diverse types of severe meningitis treated at a Pediatric Clinic of a public university hospital. From a descriptive and retrospective study, 312 children at the Pediatric Clinic of the Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Paraná were evaluated between January 2003 and January 2007. All of them had a probable diagnosis of meningitis based on clinical signs, and on the cytological and biochemical alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid routine examination. Viral meningitis (VM) was present in 140 children (45%), 58 had bacterial meningitis (BM - 19%) and etiology was undetermined in 114 (36%). In MB, Neisseria meningitidis was the most frequent etiological agent (25 cases). Predominant clinical symptoms were fever, sickness and headache. The cerebrospinal fluid test showed a high number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, high protein and low glucose level in MB; mononuclear cells were predominant in VM. Neurological complications were more frequent in BM, and convulsion the most common symptom (6/58 patients). Death happened to one case in VM and 3 in BM. Our conclusions were that the classical triad (headache, vomiting and fever) was the most common clinical manifestation, the cytological and biochemical abnormalities were typical, helping in the differentiation of MB from VM, although a good number of cases ended up with no etiological definition and, finally, immediate neurological complications and death were rare.

Acute bacterial meningitis in HIV, patients in southern Brazil: Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Acute communitarian bacterial meningitis and AIDS are prevalent infectious disease in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of acute communitarian bacterial meningitis in AIDS patients, the clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics. It was reviewed the Health Department data from city of Curitiba, Southern Brazil, from 1996 to 2002. During this period, 32 patients with AIDS fulfilled criteria for acute bacterial meningitis, representing 0.84% of the AIDS cases and 1.85% of the cases of bacterial meningitis. S. pneumoniae was the most frequent bacteria isolated. The number of white blood cells and the percentage of neutrophils were higher and CSF glucose was lower in the group with no HIV co-infection (p 0.12; 0.008; 0.04 respectively). Bacteria not so common causing meningitis can occur among HIV infected patients. The high mortality rate among pneumococcus meningitis patients makes pneumococcus vaccination important.

Acute bacterial meningitis in HIV, pacients in southern Brazil: Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Acute communitarian bacterial meningitis and AIDS are prevalent infectious disease in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of acute communitarian bacterial meningitis in AIDS patients, the clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics. It was reviewed the Health Department data from city of Curitiba, Southern Brazil, from 1996 to 2002. During this period, 32 patients with AIDS fulfilled criteria for acute bacterial meningitis, representing 0.84 percent of the AIDS cases and 1.85 percent of the cases of bacterial meningitis. S. pneumoniae was the most frequent bacteria isolated. The number of white blood cells and the percentage of neutrophils were higher and CSF glucose was lower in the group with no HIV co-infection (p 0.12; 0.008; 0.04 respectively). Bacteria not so common causing meningitis can occur among HIV infected patients. The high mortality rate among pneumococcus meningitis patients makes pneumococcus vaccination important.

A meningite bacteriana aguda comunitária e a AIDS são doenças prevalentes no Brasil. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a freqüência de meningite bacteriana aguda comunitária entre os pacientes com AIDS e as características clínicas e do líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR). Foram revistos os dados da Secretaria Municipal da Saúde, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil, nos anos de 1996 a 2002. Nesse período, 32 pacientes com AIDS preencheram os critérios para meningite bacteriana aguda, representando 0,84 por cento dos casos com AIDS e 1,85 por cento dos casos com meningite bacteriana aguda. A bactéria mais freqüentemente isolada foi S. pneumoniae. A celularidade total e a porcentagem de neutrófilos no LCR foi mais elevada e a glicose foi mais baixa no grupo sem co-infecção (p 0,12; 0,008; 0,04 respectivamente). Bactérias menos freqüentes como agentes etiológicos de meningite podem ocorrer. A taxa de mortalidade elevada entre pacientes com meningite por pneumococo torna a vacinação importante.