Management of tuberculosis in Wales: 1986-92
a Llandough Hospital and Community NHS Trust, Penarth,
South Glamorgan, Department of Child Health, b Department of Radiology, c Department of Respiratory Medicine, d Department of Public Health Medicine,
South Glamorgan Health Authority, Cardiff, e Public Health Laboratory Service Mycobacterium Reference
Laboratory, Cardiff Public Health Laboratory
Correspondence to: Dr M Alfaham, Department of Child Health, Llandough Hospital and Community NHS Trust, Penlan Road, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan CF64 2XX.
Accepted 22
December 1997
OBJECTIVES
To describe the epidemiology of
childhood tuberculosis in Wales and to assess the standard of
management of patients with tuberculosis.
DESIGNRetrospective study of data retrieved from
case notes and review of radiographs of all identified patients.
SUBJECTSForty eight cases of tuberculosis and 10 of tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis in children under 15 years of age, in
Wales, between January 1986 and December 1992.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESManagement of childhood
tuberculosis in Wales compared with the published recommendations of
the Joint Tuberculosis Committee of the British Thoracic Society.
RESULTSDocumentation was poor in most of the 48 cases of tuberculosis and only 31 (65%) were formally notified. One
third of patients were asymptomatic and were detected by contact
tracing; only eight (17%) were culture positive. Only 20% of patients
from ethnic minorities had previously been immunised with BCG.
Management and chemotherapy varied widely. Few patients were managed
jointly by paediatricians and chest doctors. Only 10% completed
treatment with a recommended chemotherapy regimen. In 37% of patients
treatment was inadequate, and in the remainder either the choice of
drugs or the duration of treatment was inappropriate. No patient died, nor had any relapsed by June 1995.
CONCLUSIONSVery few cases of childhood
tuberculosis were managed according to the recommendations of the
British Thoracic Society.
|
Key messages
|
© 1998 by Archives of Disease in Childhood
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Fathoala, B, Evans, M R, Campbell, I A, Sastry, J, Alfaham, M
(2006). Active surveillance for tuberculosis in Wales: 1996-2003. Arch. Dis. Child.
91: 900-904
[Abstract] [Full Text] -
Srinivasan, R, Menon, L, Stevens, P, Campbell, I, Alfaham, M
(2006). Ethnic differences in selective neonatal BCG immunisation: white British children miss out. Thorax
61: 247-249
[Abstract] [Full Text] -
CORRIGAN, D L, BLAND, R M, PATON, J Y
(1999). Management of tuberculosis in Wales: 1986-92. Arch. Dis. Child.
80: 579a-579
[Full Text]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in ADC Online
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
Child health
-
Meningitis
-
Clinical diagnostic tests
-
Radiology (diagnostics)
-
Immunology (including allergy)
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
