Tuberculosis in teens may be as severe as that in adults

Adolescents with tuberculosis (TB), especially those aged >15 years, may develop symptoms and conditions akin to those seen in adults with TB, suggests a study. In addition, there appears to be an increased incidence of severe pulmonary disease leading to pulmonary sequelae.

A team of investigators retrospectively analysed 292 patients aged 10‒19 years (median age 14 years) with TB between January 2016 and December 2021 in the Department of of Phthisiology of the Children’s Hospital “Dr. Ricardo Gutiérrez” of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Majority of the patients were previously healthy, and more than half (55 percent) were not aware of the source of their infection. Of the patients, 75 percent consulted with a physician due to the presence of symptoms, of which the most frequent were haemoptysis and weight loss in those >15 years.

Adolescents aged >15 years were more likely to have lung imaging findings consistent with severe disease. Respiratory cultures turned out positive in most of the obtained samples (62 percent).

Hospitalization was required in half of the patients, with 45 percent exhibiting extrapulmonary involvement. Of the patients, 74 percent recovered from TB, 13 percent were lost to follow-up, 11 percent were referred to a less complex facility, 1 percent had failed treatment, and three succumbed to the disease (1 percent).

In addition, “[p]ulmonary cavities and positive bacilloscopy were associated with the presence of pulmonary sequelae at the end of treatment,” the investigators said.