Pediatric Tuberculosis

INTRODUCTION: The migrant population residing in Portugal has been growing. In 2015, the pediatrics department at Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca Hospital, a level II hospital, implemented a screening for endemic pathologies in asymptomatic migrant children to enable their timely diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to identify and characterize the main findings in the migrant pathology screening. METHODS: This was a retrospective and descriptive study of asymptomatic children and adolescents who underwent opportunistic screening for migrant pathology in a hospital setting between January 2016 and April 2021...

INTRODUCTION: Infectious encephalopathy (IE), including meningitis, infectious encephalitis, and cerebral abscess, remains prevalent and carries high mortality and morbidity in children, especially in low and middle income countries (LMIC). This study aims to describe the usual care and outcomes of pediatric IE in four LMIC hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa to support evidence-based care guideline development. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the Prevalence of Acute Critical Neurological disease in children: A Global Epidemiological Assessment-Developing Countries study, a 4-week, prospective, observational study in children (1 week to 17 years) with IE presenting to referral hospitals in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana...

Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21, leading to various characteristic physical features as well as developmental and cognitive delays. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder in both adult and pediatric patients with DS. Several characteristics of DS may contribute to the development or worsening of OSAS. Numerous murine models of DS exist. A number of studies have explored apneas and the risk of upper airway obstruction in these models, but up until now, only in adulthood...

OBJECTIVE: Biologic therapy has changed the prognosis of patients with rheumatologic disease. Despite all benefits of the biological agents, adverse events may occur due to their long-term use. The aim of this study is to analyze the adverse events observed in pediatric patients who received biological treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted between January 2010 and January 2022. File records of 139 patients used biological agents for rheumatologic diseases in a pediatric rheumatology clinic were evaluated...

Craniocervical Pott's disease is rare, particularly in the pediatric population. The importance of motion preservation in this age group renders managing this disease even more challenging. The literature regarding craniocervical Pott's disease comes from endemic regions. Most authors will agree on early surgical intervention in cases of neurological compromise or severe instability, while patients with minimal symptoms will do well with conservative management. Controversy remains when patients are mildly symptomatic but with imaging findings concerning for significant instability...

Introduction Tuberculosis is a critical health issue worldwide. Most infected persons are asymptomatic and categorized as having a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Healthcare workers (HCWs) are more prone to being infected with tuberculosis and should be enrolled in a screening program for early detection. Objectives The study aims to estimate the prevalence of LTBI among nurses working in critical areas which include adult intensive care units, pediatric intensive care units, emergency departments, oncology departments, dialysis departments, tuberculosis labs, isolation rooms, and cardiac center intensive care units...

Tuberculosis is one of the most common pediatric problems, especially in the developing world. In spite of that, intraocular tuberculosis is a rare disease that can easily be confused with other noninfectious processes, even in regions where tuberculosis is rampant. Diagnosis is difficult, yet it is very important to provide effective antituberculosis treatment and avoid potentially sight-losing interventions. We present a case of a 2-year-old child with a positive contact history of tuberculosis who presented with progressively worsening seizures and constitutional symptoms for 6 months...

Pediatric tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of tuberculosis that may present in children. The current diagnostic methods may have a limited impact on initial clinical decision-making. We present three children with tuberculous meningitis who had Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex cell-free DNA (cfDNA) detected in their blood within three days of sampling. Our cases described here illustrate for the first time the potential role of cfDNA blood tests in the rapid diagnosis of TBM.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate adverse events (AEs) in pediatric patients with rheumatologic diseases being treated with approved or off-label biologic agents (BAs). METHODS: This observational, retrospective, multicenter study was conducted from 2010 to 2022 in patients under 18 years of age with rheumatic diseases who were receiving interleukin-1 antibodies (Anti-IL1), interleukin-6 antibodies (Anti-IL6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (anti-TNF). Efficacy, AEs, and timing of AEs were collected from electronic medical records...

BACKGROUND: Following reports of an outbreak of HIV infection among children in Larkana District, Pakistan, an international team investigated the extent and cause of the outbreak between April and June 2019. AIMS: To investigate the incidence of HIV among children in Larkana District, Pakistan and describe the distribution of cases by time, place and person. METHODS: Self-referred persons were tested for HIV using the national testing protocol...

BACKGROUND: The treatment of pediatric patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a crucial TB control strategy. LTBI is not a reportable communicable disease, and data regarding LTBI treatment in pediatric patients in Korea are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns and treatment completion rates among pediatric patients with LTBI in Korea by analyzing National Health reimbursement claims data. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed outpatient prescription records for pediatric patients aged 18 or younger with LTBI-related diagnostic codes from 2016 to 2020...

A 5-year-old male child presented with nonhealing wound on the left scapular region. He had a history of multiple abscesses 8 months back. Incision and drainage were done for all abscesses in the same sitting at another hospital. All wounds healed except one of the scapular regions. The wound was explored and there was large cotton gauze inside the wound. The common causes of nonhealing of wound are tuberculosis, malignancy, and immunodeficiency. However, iatrogenic foreign body is also an important cause and should be considered in differential diagnosis...

Objective. This study aims to investigate compliance and the influencing factors related to pediatric tuberculosis patients who are undergoing treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs in the Sichuan Province of China. Methods. A questionnaire survey was conducted between March 2019 and March 2021. The survey was distributed to caregivers of children aged 0 to 14 who had been diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. These children had been receiving oral anti-tuberculosis drug treatment for more than 1 month...

Tuberculous pericarditis (TBP) is an important cause of pericarditis worldwide while being infrequent in childhood, especially in low-TB-incidence countries. We report a case of TBP and provide a systematic review of the literature, conducted by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane to find cases of TBP in pediatric age published in the English language between the year 1990 and the time of the search. Of the 587 search results obtained, after screening and a backward citation search, 45 studies were selected to be included in this review, accounting for a total of 125 patients...

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Children and people living with HIV (PLHIV) have an increased risk of mortality, particularly in the absence of rapid diagnosis. The main challenges of diagnosing TB in these populations are due to the unspecific and paucibacillary disease presentation and the difficulty of obtaining respiratory samples. Thus, novel diagnostic strategies, based on non-respiratory specimens could improve clinical decision making and TB outcomes in high burden TB settings...

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease is increasing. tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors medicines improved the prognosis of affected subjects. Nonetheless, a proportion of patients do not respond or lose response to treatment. Newer biologics, like ustekinumab, have been approved for adults. The pediatric off-label use of these drugs is increasing, despite limited safety evidence. We report a case of disseminated mycobacterial infection (MI) presenting with reactive polyarthritis (Poncet's disease, PD) in a girl with Crohn's disease receiving various immunosuppressants, including ustekinumab...

INTRODUCTION: Biologic modifying agents are associated with an increased risk for infection with mycobacteria. The aim of this study is to document patients who received different biologic modifying therapies in our pediatric rheumatology department and the possibility of development of tuberculosis (TB). METHODOLOGY: This retrospective study was conducted in Ankara City Hospital. Pediatric patients who were treated with biologic modifying agents between 2010-2020 were documented...

There is abundant literature reporting about the use of antibiotics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but their role in the management of IBD is not entirely clear. Diverse infectious organisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease. Also, infections are believed to be a trigger for flares of ulcerative colitis. The benefit of the routine use of antibiotics in IBD is equivocal. However, there are certain situations, where antibiotics have a clear role and evidence of benefit: perianal fistula, intra-abdominal abscesses in Crohn's disease, acute pouchitis and infection-related flares...

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Latin America has decreased considerably. However, new infections continue to be recorded, and the pediatric population remains one of the most vulnerable groups in this region. The main objective of the study was to describe the clinical, epidemiological and psychosocial characteristics of new diagnoses of HIV MTCT in 2018 in the PLANTAIDS network (Paediatric Network for Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment of HIV in Children) during the 3 years following diagnosis...

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease of which congenital TB is a rare form even in TB-endemic countries such as India. There are very few case reports of the same in the literature. Though the incidence rate of congenital TB is low, mortality rates are very high. Here, we report a case of a 2-day-old neonate who presented to Pediatrics Accident and Emergency with complaints of fast breathing and swelling all over the body. The baby had swelling all over the body and subcutaneous edema suggestive of hydrops fetalis...