Clinical features of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in children

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical features of the extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in children.

METHODS: Sixty-four children with extrapulmonary TB followed in Ankara Social Security Childrens Hospital between June 1995 and May 2003 were reviewed.

RESULTS: The mean age was 7.5 ± 4.1 years. The most commonly involved sites were the central nervous system [(CNS) 16 cases] and pleura (14 cases). Aside from this, 10 children had a diagnosis of miliary TB. Abdominal TB (median age of 12 years) and pleural effusion (median age of 10.9 years) were mostly seen in older children while miliary TB was encountered more frequently in younger children (median age 2.5 years). A positive family history of active TB was detected in 39% of the cases. There was consanguinity between parents in 23 (35.9%) of the cases. Twenty-five (39%) cases had no Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination scar. One case with CNS TB expired. Sequelae observed during the follow up were; motor-mental retardation in 3 cases, hemiparesis in 2 cases, strabismus in one case with CNS TB and vertebral deformation in 2 cases with Pott's disease.

CONCLUSION: Severe forms such as CNS and miliary TB constituted an important percentage of childhood extrapulmonary TB cases.