Site Of Tuberculosis Research Articles

Comparison of Truenat Mycobacterium tuberculosis with line probe assay for the diagnosis of rifampicin resistance and mutation pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract Background: There is an increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB)/preextensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB) and XDR TB globally. Therefore, rapid diagnostic tests with good sensitivity and specificity are need of hour. Truenat Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is one such test which gives results in 1–2 h and can withstand a variety of environmental conditions. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare Truenat MTB with line probe assay (LPA) for the diagnosis of rifampicin resistance and to study the mutation pattern of MTB. Materials and Methods: A comparative record-based study was carried out among 325 patients with multidrug-resistant TB. Sputum samples for pulmonary TB and appropriate site samples for extrapulmonary TB were obtained and tested with Truenat-MTB and LPA. A comparison between results obtained by Truenat-MTB and LPA was done. Based on first-line-LPA and second-line-LPA, gene mutation pattern was studied. Results: Males (69.2%) were more than females (30.8%). 30–49 (34.5%) years of age were most commonly affected. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of Truenat MTB compared to LPA were 82.86%, 93.45%, 60.41%, and 97.83%, respectively. The most common gene mutation observed was katG MUT1 in 59 cases. This was followed by rpoB MUT1 in three cases, rpoB MUT2A in two cases, rpoB MUT2B in four cases, and rpoB MUT3 in 12 cases. gyrA mutation was seen in nine cases among which gyrA MUT3A was seen in one case, gyrA MUT3B in one case, and gyrA MUT3C was seen in four cases. Two cases of rrs MUT1 were seen. Five cases of inhA MUT1 were seen. Conclusion: Truenat has been found to be economical, less time-consuming, giving fast results, and accurate in the diagnosis of DR-TB. The most common gene mutation observed was katG MUT1 in 59 cases.

Osteoarticular TB specimen yield rates. Large joint analysis at a single centre.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains endemic in South Africa. The spine, hip, and knee joints are common extra-pulmonary TB sites. Sound history taking, clinical examination, and basic laboratory and pathological tests remain key important steps in osteoarticular TB diagnosis. In our resources-stricken context cost is everything, if we can make a diagnosis cheaply that would go a long way. The diagnostic yield of standard laboratory tests compared to a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for osteoarticular TB diagnosis in a single orthopaedic unit has not been analysed. We conducted a retrospective record review of extra-spinal osteoarticular TB infection at our hospital from 01 June 2016 to 31 December 2021. Patient demographics, clinical history, and laboratory test results were analysed. A total of 34 cases were identified, with 32 of the cases being articular and two osseous involvement. The knee was the most common joint affected followed hip joint. Acid Fast Bacilli were detected in 32% of cases with microscopy, while TB culture was positive in 29% of samples. Histopathological examination and real-time PCR diagnosed TB in 66% and 63% of the cases, respectively. Our findings suggest that in the right context of a suggestive history and examination, histological analysis is as good as PCR for diagnosing osteoarticular TB.

Incidental Primary Cystic Duct Lymph Node Tuberculosis in a 28-year-old Female: A Rare Case Report

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by acid-fast bacilli Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The lung remains the most common site involved by it. Extrapulmonary sites of TB are lymph nodes, pleura, bone, joints, urogenital tract, and meninges. Isolated Cystic Duct Tubercular Lymphadenitis (CDL TB) without involving the gallbladder is an uncommon manifestation of TB that primarily affects the lymph nodes around the cystic duct. A multidisciplinary approach is essential for accurate diagnosis and successful management of such cases. The authors hereby present a case of a 28-year-old female, without any evidence of TB elsewhere and an incidental finding of CDL TB. “The patient was sent with a clinical diagnosis of Chronic Calculus Cholecystitis (CCC)”. This highlights the need for comprehensive clinical evaluation and diagnostic investigations to avoid misdiagnosis or delayed management. This underscores the significance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for extrapulmonary TB, particularly in regions where the disease remains endemic. Healthcare practitioners should be vigilant when encountering unusual clinical presentations or when dealing with atypical combinations of gallbladder pathologies, as illustrated by the concurrent occurrence of CDL TB with CC with evidence of Pyloric Metaplasia (PM) and cholesterolosis without cholelithiasis, as in the patient of the present case report.

Studi Prevalensi dan Faktor Risiko Penyebaran Penyakit Tuberkulosis Paru pada Warga Binaan di Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Kelas IIA Jember

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the single agent causing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), infects 1.8 billion people, or around one-quarter of the world's total population. In Indonesia, there are an estimated 969,000 cases of pulmonary TB, including 443,235 reported cases. Prison is a high transmission site for pulmonary TB. Prison circumstances, such as high occupancy capacity, inadequate ventilation and nutrition, difficulties accessing health care, inadequate treatment, and weak patient immunity, are some of the variables influencing this. Knowledge on the origins, transmission, preventative strategies, and early diagnosis of pulmonary TB infection is essential for the prisoner in order to change attitudes toward pulmonary TB infection. This study used a descriptive approach to generate a description of the prevalence and risk factors for the spread of pulmonary tuberculosis in the Prison of Jember Class IIA. Based on the WHO-recommended screening technique, 4 male prisoners in the Prison of Jember Class IIA (8.5%) tested positive for pulmonary tuberculosis. There are various aspects that are difficult to include into environmental health standards, particularly infectious diseases like pulmonary tuberculosis, such as the density of people in a single cell room and the construction of the building and the services housed inside it. Policymakers must pay attention to the requirement to create appropriate isolation rooms and, at the very least, satisfy room standards for patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis Notification in Jordan, 2016-2020.

The burden of tuberculosis (TB) in Jordan is largely unknown due to the paucity of high-quality data, under-reporting, and a lack of good quality vital registration system. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of TB patients in Jordan, determine the TB notification rate and assess the trend of TB notification in Jordan between 2016 and 2020. Methods: This study analyzed the TB Surveillance data in Jordan for the period 2016-2020. The obtained data included information on age, gender, nationality, marital status, date of symptoms onset and date of diagnosis, and site of TB. Results: During the period 2016-2020, a total of 1711 patients (989 women and 722 men) were diagnosed with and treated for tuberculosis. The mean (SD) age of patients was 30.1 (17.2) years. Almost half of them (48.4%) were Jordanians. The majority of non-Jordanian patients were from Syria, Philippines, and Bangladesh. Two thirds of patients (66.0%) had pulmonary TB and 34.0% had extra-pulmonary TB. Almost half (50.7%) of the patients were diagnosed within one month of the symptoms' onset. The average annual TB notification rate during 2016-2020 was 3.32 per 100,000 pop (4.08 per 100,000 women and 2.64 per 100,000 men). The average annual standardized notification rate was 4.13 per 100,000 pop (4.52 per 100,000 women and 3.52 per 100,000 men). The overall age-standardized notification rate increased from 3.88 per 100,000 pop in 2016 to 4.58 per 100,000 pop in 2019 and declined to 2.46 per 100,000 pop in 2020. The trend in TB notification differed significantly according to gender. While the notification increased in the last three years among women, it decreased significantly among men. Conclusions: While TB notification increased in the last three years among women, it decreased significantly among men. There is a need to ensure that the national TB plans set clear targets for reducing the burden of TB.

Empowerment of Class IIA Prison Jember in Participatory Actions to Achieve Pulmonary Tuberculosis Elimination by 2030

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the single agent causing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), infects 1.8 billion people, or around one-quarter of the world's total population. In Indonesia, there are an estimated 969,000 cases of pulmonary TB, including 443,235 reported cases. Prison is a high transmission site for pulmonary TB. Prison circumstances, such as high occupancy capacity, inadequate ventilation and nutrition, difficulties accessing health care, inadequate treatment, and weak patient immunity, are some of the variables influencing this. Knowledge on the origins, transmission, preventative strategies, and early diagnosis of pulmonary TB infection is essential for the prisoner in order to change attitudes toward pulmonary TB infection. This Community Service Program intends to expand the prisoner's knowledge about pulmonary TB via 3 stages including preparation, implementation, and evaluation. The target of this program is 47 male prisoners in the Prison of Jember Class IIA. The findings were evaluated after delivering pulmonary TB counseling materials (post test) and revealed an increase in the mean value to 79.6, implying that prisoner's awareness of pulmonary TB increased.

Assessment of anxiety and depression among tuberculosis patients of Ahmedabad, India

BackgroundIndia has high prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB). The long duration of treatment and chronic nature of illness predispose a person to anxiety as well as depression. Various addiction habits may affect treatment outcome and impact mental wellbeing in TB patients. This study was planned with the objectives of finding prevalence of anxiety and depression in tuberculosis patients at Ahmedabad district and to find association between anxiety, depression and different variables of TB patients as well as to assess the addiction profile of TB patients. MethodsA total of 600 TB patients above 18 years and having completed 3 months of anti TB treatment without any psychiatric illness were selected randomly from 3 types of health institutes where patients receive treatment namely Ahmedabad district TB center (Institute 1), one medical college attached hospital (Institute 2) and one private hospital (Institute 3).Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess anxiety and depression. ResultsThe mean age of study patients was 41.57 ± 13.44 years and 66.3% (398) patients were males. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was found to be 37.5% and 41.2% respectively while in 18.66% patients both anxiety and depression coexisted simultaneously. Institute 1 reported highest prevalence of anxiety (45.4%) while institute 2 reported highest prevalence of depression (42.9%). The prevalence of anxiety among drug sensitive TB patients was 32.7% while among drug resistant TB patients was 80%.The prevalence of depression in drug sensitive TB patients was 37.03% while among drug resistant TB patients was 78.3%. Anxiety had a statistically significant association with gender, occupation, socioeconomic class, type of TB, site of TB and perceived social isolation (p < 0.05).Except gender, depression was significantly associated with all the variables (p < 0.05).Tobacco addiction was found in 37.5% patients, alcohol addiction in 8.3% while 4.5% patients had both types of addiction. There was a statistically significant association found between addiction and variables like gender, residence, occupation, type of TB and site of TB. ConclusionOne third of patients had anxiety and more than one third had depression in which the prevalence of depression was higher than anxiety. District TB Center had highest prevalence of anxiety while medical college attached hospital had highest prevalence of depression. Anxiety and depression were higher in drug resistant TB patients. Tobacco addiction was more common than alcohol. Addiction had a significant association with depression, nonworking rural males and patients who had drug resistant pulmonary TB.

Diagnostic Problem in a Patient with Tuberculosis Arthritis

Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) remains a big public health problem worldwide. Although TB most commonly affects the lungs, any organ or tissue can be involved. TB arthritis is a rare form of extra-pulmonary TB. TB arthritis usually manifests as mild and non-specific arthritis. A 35-year-old male was admitted to the emergency room of Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital Surabaya due to pain of left knee since two days prior to admission. His symptom began on previous six months with the swelling of the left knee that gradually worsened so that he had an antalgic gait. Radiological examination of left knee joint showed inflammatory arthritis, accompanied by joint effusion and soft tissue swelling. USG examination of the left knee showed the presence of non-specific left knee arthritis. Patient underwent debridement. Anatomical pathology examination of the tissue obtained at the time of debridement, showed the TB granulomatous inflammation. The Ziehl-Nielson stain of left knee tissue also showed the TB granulomatous inflammation. Patient was then treated with analgesics and anti-TB drugs. The intensive phase of anti-TB therapy was planned to be 2 month, then evaluated and followed by continuation phase for about 7 months. The knee joint is the third most common site of osteoarticular TB after spine and hip. Insidious onset of pain which, in some patients may be present for years, is the usual presentation. The joint is usually warm, and wasting of the thigh muscles is usually marked. Synovial hypertrophy and effusion are present in most patients. The gold standard for diagnosis of TB arthritis is synovial biopsy, with positive results in 80% of cases. It shows caseating granulomas, lymphocytes, and giant cells with caseation, which are characteristics of TB arthritis. Synovial biopsy is generally recommended in any arthritis where clinical evaluation and routine investigations do not give a clear diagnosis.

Adverse drug reactions to first-line antituberculosis drugs at four DOTS centers in Goa, India

BACKGROUND: Major adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can cause significant morbidity and can compromise the treatment regimen. This can result in substantial additional cost due to added outpatient visits to the health facility or laboratory investigations or hospitalization in serious instances. Treatment is often prolonged with additional challenge of compliance. Hence, there is a need to monitor and manage these ADRs timely for better patient care and outcome. This study was carried out with the objective of studying the pattern of ADRs due to first-line antitubercular drugs and to carry out the causality and severity assessment of the reported ADRs.METHODOLOGY: A prospective observational study was conducted at four DOTS centers. All tuberculosis (TB) patients registered and receiving treatment under DOTS were enrolled for the study and were followed up at regular intervals till the end of their treatment. Patients' demographic, personal, disease, investigation, and ADRs details were entered in a predesigned patient recording form. Causality assessment of all ADRs were done using Naranjo algorithm. Severity assessment was done using modified Hartwig and Siegel scale. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee of the institute. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows.RESULTS: Of 186 patients, 23 patients (12.26%) developed one or more ADRs. The average number of ADRs per person was 1.43. Majority of the ADRs were reported in the 20–40 years of age group and ADRs were more likely to be among females compared to males. There was no association between type of TB, site of TB, regimen of anti-TB drugs, treatment outcomes, and ADRs. Around 84.85% and 15.15% of ADRs were classified as of mild and moderate severity, respectively, as per modified Hartwig and Siegel scale, while, as per Naranjo algorithm, 72.73% of the ADRs were classified as probable and 27.27% of ADRs as possible. No ADRs were classified as definite.CONCLUSION: Thorough understanding of the various ADRs and their management will help in the effective treatment of TB as well as designing effective counseling methods, which will help in adherence to treatment and also to have better compliance.

The impact of diabetes mellitus on outcomes of adult tuberculosis patients: а сross-sectional study

Background. Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) are major public health problems and among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The TB-DM coexistence is known to complicate TB care, control and prevention. Globally, 10.4 million TB cases exists, of them 10% are linked to DM. People with DM are at four to five times higher risk of getting infected with tuberculosis and evidence show poor TB treatment outcomes. This study purposed to evaluate the impact of diabetes mellitus on treatment outcomes in patients with active tuberculosis. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary health care center in Tirana, Albania. We analyzed the medical records of 140 patients hospitalized during in 2018–2019 with a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Study subjects were adult tuberculosis patients hospitalized in our hospital and undergoing antituberculosis treatment. Data from study subjects were obtained by interview method using semistructured questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic and clinical parameters. To determine DM risk factors, one variable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was done with 95% confidence interval and p-value&lt; 0.05 considered significant. Results. Out of 140 patients, the prevalence of DM was found to be 9.3% (n= 13) with average glucose values X= 145 mg/dl (min 120— max 175 mg/dl), SD= 30. No significant differences were found between sex, residence, type and site of TB. Increasing age (p&lt; 0.02), male sex (p= 0.04), and clinical manifestations like type of TB (p= 0.82), multilobe involvement (p= 0.243), other lung diseases (p= 0.154) are not significantly associated with DM-TB comorbidity. Conclusion. The prevalence of DM among TB patients in this study is high. The expanding burden of diabetes is increasing the risk of contracting tuberculosis and has a strong impact on TB treatment outcomes. The results of our study show that patients with TB-DM were at higher risk of treatment failure and mortality compared to those with TB without diabetes. Bidirectional screening for TB and DM along with planning and implementation of preventive and curative strategies will help early detection and prevent complications of comorbidity.

Treatment outcome and its associated factors among HIV-MTB co-infected patients in Sichuan, China: A retrospective study.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) co-infection has become a pressing global public health problem. Although tuberculosis (TB) is both treatable and curable, it has been exacerbated by the HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. HIV-MTB co-infected patients have a variety of disease-specific, and treatment-related factors that can adversely affect their treatment outcomes. This study was conducted to assess the outcomes of TB treatment and its associated factors among HIV-MTB co-infected patients in Sichuan, Southwest China. A retrospective study was performed on HIV-MTB co-infected patients who were diagnosed and registered in TB designated hospitals in Sichuan from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020. Data were collected from patients' electronic medical records regarding their demographic, clinical, and social support information, and categorical data, such as sex, were reported using numbers and percentages. χ2 and t-tests were conducted to compare groups in relation to different levels of medical institutions. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes. For logistic regression analysis performed using an α of 0.05, odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for various risk factors. A total of 3677 registered HIV-MTB co-infected patients were enrolled. After adjusting for other variables, male, advanced age, receiving TB treatment at the municipal medical institution, being diagnosed with external pulmonary TB, referral or tracing, being sputum smear positive, not initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) and not using fixed-dose combinations were the main risk factors for treatment failure of HIV-MTB co-infected patients in Sichuan province. Sex, age, hospital level, patient source, other diagnostic factors (e.g., sputum smear results, anatomical site of TB), and factors of therapeutic schemes (e.g., antiretroviral therapy, fixed-dose combinations) may serve as risk factors to estimate the likely treatment outcome of HIV-TB co-infection.

Depression Among Patients With Tuberculosis at a Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) Center in Rural Delhi.

Background Psychiatric disorders, particularly depression is prevalent among patients with tuberculosis (TB) and affect their treatment compliance. Patients with tuberculosis can develop depression due to multiple factors like longer treatment duration, social stigma, lack of family support, etc.In this study, depression and its associated factors were examined among patients with tuberculosis enrolled in a directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) center in North Delhi. Methods In this DOTS center-based, cross-sectional study, 320 patients with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB above 18 years old were included. Basic socio-demographic information was gathered using a Hindi questionnaire, and depression was identified using the patient health questionnaire-9. People who received a score of 10 or higher were deemed to have depression. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for data analysis. Analysis between depression and no-depression groups was done by the chi-square test and a p-value< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The study involved 320 patients in all, 193 (60.3%) of whom were men. The median age was 38 years, and the interquartile range (IQR) was 24 to 52 years. Depression was found to be present in half of the patients. Patients with a higher proportion of depression were male, belonged to the middle or below socio-economic status, were currently unemployed and literate, had monthly family income less than 8000 rupees, weight below 45 kg, used alcohol and tobacco, and were undergoing intensive phase (IP) of TB treatment (p-value< 0.05). Depression was not found to be associated with age, site of TB, previous history of anti-tubercular treatment (ATT) intake, marital status, and family size. Conclusion Depression among patients with TB is common and affects half of the patients afflicted with it. When evaluating patients with TB, physicians and DOTS providers should have a high index of suspicion for depression.

Effect of Gender on Clinical Presentation of Tuberculosis (TB) and Age-Specific Risk of TB, and TB-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection.

Previous studies have shown gender differences in tuberculosis (TB) incidence; however, gender disparity has not been well documented across granular categorizations of anatomic sites affected by TB and in the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection, largely due to small sample size for less common TB clinical presentations and lack of detailed clinical data. The study population included TB cases aged ≥15 years (n = 41, 266) diagnosed in Harare, Zimbabwe. This cross-sectional study estimated male-to-female ratio (M/F ratio) for (1) age-specific TB incidence, (2) age-specific HIV prevalence among incident TB cases, and (3) 9 types of TB defined by affected anatomic site. Males were at a 53% higher risk of TB compared to females (risk ratio [RR] = 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.09). Based on adjusted odds ratios (aORs) from multinomial logistic regression model, the odds of abdominal TB (aOR = 0.51; 95% CI, .39-.68), TB bones/joints/spine (aOR = 0.63; 95% CI, .45-.90), and "other" extrapulmonary TB sites (aOR = 0.69; 95% CI = .59-.81) versus pulmonary TB were lower among males compared to females. The risk of TB-HIV coinfection among males was 17% (RR = .83; 95% CI, .74-.93) and 8% (RR = 0.92; 95% CI, .88-.95) lower in the 15- to 24-year and 25- to 44-year age groups, respectively. This study revealed a nuanced role of gender across finer categorizations of TB, indicating the need for future research to delineate underlying mechanisms driving gender disparities in TB. The finding that women had a greater likelihood of severe forms of TB and TB-HIV coinfection compared to men has important implications for women's health in TB-HIV high-burden settings.

Assessment of facility-based tuberculosis data quality in an integrated HIV/TB database in three South African districts.

Assessment of data quality is essential to successful monitoring & evaluation of tuberculosis (TB) services. South Africa uses the Three Interlinked Electronic Register (TIER.Net) to monitor TB diagnoses and treatment outcomes. We assessed the quality of routine programmatic data as captured in TIER.Net. We reviewed 277 records from routine data collected for adults who had started TB treatment for drug-sensitive (DS-) TB between 10/2018-12/2019 from 15 facilities across three South African districts using three sources and three approaches to link these (i.e., two approaches compared TIER.NET with the TB Treatment Record while the third approach compared all three sources of TB data: the TB treatment record or patient medical file; the TB Identification Register; and the TB module in TIER.Net). We report agreement and completeness of demographic information and key TB-related variables across all three data sources. In our first approach we selected 150 patient records from TIER.Net and found all but one corresponding TB Treatment Record (99%). In our second approach we were also able to find a corresponding TIER.Net record from a starting point of the paper-based, TB Treatment Record for 73/75 (97%) records. We found fewer records 55/75 (73%) in TIER.Net when we used as a starting point records from the TB Identification Register. Demographic information (name, surname, date of birth, and gender) was accurately reported across all three data sources (matching 90% or more). The reporting of key TB-related variables was similar across both the TB Treatment Record and the TB module in TIER.Net (p>0.05). We observed differences in completeness and moderate agreement (Kappa 0.41-0.60) for site of disease, TB treatment outcome and smear microscopy or X-ray as a diagnostic test (p<0.05). We observed more missing items for the TB Treatment record compared to TIER.Net; TB treatment outcome date and site of disease specifically. In comparison, TB treatment start dates as well as HIV-status recording had higher concordance. HIV status and lab results appeared to be more complete in the TB module in TIER.Net than in the TB Treatment Records, and there was "good/substantial" agreement (Kappa 0.61-0.80) for HIV status. Our key finding was that the TB Module in TIER.Net was more complete in some key variables including TB treatment outcome. Most TB patient records we reviewed were found on TIER.Net but there was a noticeable gap of TB Identification patient records from the paper register as compared to TIER.Net, including those who tested TB-negative or HIV-negative. There is evidence of complete and "good/substantial" data quality for key TB-related variables, such as "First GeneXpert test result" and "HIV status." Improvements in data completeness of TIER.Net compared to the TB Treatment Record are the most urgent area for improvement, especially recording of TB treatment outcomes.

Tuberculosis and diabetes: increased hospitalisations and mortality associated with renal impairment.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) triples a person's risk of active tuberculosis (TB) and is associated with increased mortality. It is unclear whether diabetes status and/or the associated renal dysfunction is associated with poor TB outcomes in New Zealand, which has high diabetes screening. To characterise the population of TB-DM and TB-alone to assess the effect of diabetes status and renal function on hospitalisation and mortality. Clinical records from all adult patients diagnosed with TB in Auckland over a 6-year period (2010-2015) were reviewed. Baseline demographics, clinical presentation and microbiological data were assessed to compare the rates of hospitalisation and mortality between those with TB-DM and TB-alone. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. A total of 701 patients was identified with TB; 120 (17%) had an unknown diabetes status and were excluded, and 135 had co-existing diabetes. The TB-DM and TB-alone groups had similar distribution of TB site and proportions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture positivity. Univariate analysis showed TB-DM patients had statistically significantly higher proportions of acute hospitalisation and mortality. Multivariate logistic regression showed only a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) accounted for the higher rates of hospitalisation, with the odds of hospitalisation increasing by 2% for every unit decrease in eGFR. The odds of mortality increased by 6% for every year increase in age, and the odds of mortality increased by 3% for every unit reduction in eGFR. Diabetes is associated with higher TB hospitalisation and mortality; however, this is likely mediated by increased age and chronic kidney disease.

Geographic accessibility to childhood tuberculosis care in Pakistan

ABSTRACT Background Tuberculosis (TB) in children is difficult to detect and often needs specialists to diagnose; the health system is supposed to refer to higher level of health care when diagnosis is not settled in a sick child. In Pakistan, the primary health care level can usually not diagnose childhood TB and will refer to a paediatricians working at a secondary or tertiary care hospital. We aimed to determine the health services access to child TB services in Pakistan. Objective We aimed to determine the geographical access to child TB services in Pakistan. Method We used geospatial analysis to calculate the distance from the nearest public health facility to settlements, using qGIS, as well as population living within the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended 5-km distance. Result At primary health care level, 14.1% of facilities report child TB cases to national tuberculosis program and 74% of the population had geographical access to general primary health care within 5-km radius. To secondary- and tertiary-level health care, 33.5% of the population had geographical access within 5-km radius. The average distance from a facility for diagnosis of childhood TB was 26.3 km from all settlement to the nearest child TB sites. The population of one province (Balochistan) had longer distances to health care services. Conclusion With fairly good coverage of primary health care but lower coverage of specialist care for childhood TB, the health system depends heavily on a good referral system from the communities.

Intramedullary tuberculoma of thoracic spine: A rare location of an endemic disease

Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in India, alone contributing for two thirds of total cases worldwide. Spinal tuberculosis accounts for 1-2% of all cases of tuberculosis. However, spinal intramedullary tuberculoma occurs in as few as 2 out of 1000 cases of tuberculosis involving central nervous system. This may present in form of meningitis, tubercular spondylitis, arachnoididtis or tuberculomas mostly. The most common site of involvement is found to be the thoracic region of spine affecting relatively younger age groups and often seen in association with extraspinal tuberculosis disease. The source of intramedullary tuberculosis is mostly hematogenous spread from a site of primary TB elsewhere in the body which is usually the lungs.Due to rarity of the disease misdiagnosis is frequent.Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the investigation of choice and histopathological examination and culture are confirmatory methods for diagnosis of tuberculosis.Microsurgical resection is better option for rapidly progressing intramedullary tuberculosis cases. Here we report a rare case of isolated spinal intramedullary tuberculoma of thoracic spinal region.

How to Optimize Tuberculosis Health Education in College Under the New Situation? Based on a Cross-Sectional Study Among Freshmen of a Medical College in Guangxi, China.

BackgroundChina is a country with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), and students are the high-risk group for TB. The enrollment scale of colleges has increased dramatically due to the advancement of the enrollment expansion system of Chinese colleges. Consequently, this has brought severe challenges to TB prevention and control in colleges. In 2017, a new TB control guide for schools was issued in China, which included the 8 core knowledge of TB. The target of the overall awareness rate on TB among population was “≥85%,” which was proposed by the “13th Five-Year” National TB Control Plan in China. The cognition of the 8 core knowledge of TB in the new guide among college students is crucial to achieve this target, but few studies on this have been reported. Based on the abovementioned new situation and the new guide, this study aimed to investigate and analyze the cognition, attitudes, and health education needs on TB among freshmen of a medical college in Guangxi province, and discuss how to optimize TB health education in colleges in China.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among freshmen of a medical college in Guangxi, China. A self-designed questionnaire was used to conduct an on-site questionnaire survey. The data was entered in Epidata 4.4.2.1 and was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Including descriptive statistics and t-test, and the criterion for statistically significant difference was p < 0.05.ResultsA total of 583 freshmen responded to the survey questionnaires. Regarding cognition about the 5 related knowledge of TB, 551 (94.5%) freshmen knew about the predilection site of TB, while 333 (57.1%), 328 (56.4%), 257 (44.1%), and 201 (34.5%) freshmen knew about the pathogen, the policies about free treatment, the designated hospitals, and the World TB Day, respectively. Regarding cognition on the 8 core knowledge of TB, the overall awareness rate among the freshmen is 73.3%(3,420/4,664); the awareness rate of the knowledge that “guarantee adequate sleep, reasonable diet, and strengthen physical exercise can reduce the incidence of TB” among them was the highest at 88.7% (517/583); and the awareness rate of the knowledge that “coughing or sputum expectoration occurred for more than 2 weeks should be suspected of infecting TB and seeking medical treatment in time” among them was the lowest at 47.5% (277/583). Whether students received health education on TB (T = 4.267, p = 0.000) and whether students heard of TB (T = 3.739, p = 0.000) are the main factors of cognition. Five hundred sixty-two (96.4%) and 565 (96.9%) freshmen were willing to learn and tell others about the knowledge of TB, respectively. Three hundred seventy (63.5%.) freshmen, the highest amount, were willing to accept TB health education in the forms of “website, Weibo, and WeChat.”ConclusionThe cognition on the 5 related knowledge of TB among freshmen is unbalanced, and the overall awareness rate of the 8 core knowledge of TB among freshmen still needs to be improved. Freshmen who have not heard of TB and have not received TB health education before enrollment are the key intervention groups. It is recommended that institutions make full use of modern multimedia technology, continuously optimize the health education forms, implement precise policies, and strengthen the theoretical and practical health education on TB from the initial entry of freshmen into colleges.

Esophageal tuberculosis induced dysphagia: a case report

BackgroundPatients can present for a wide variety of etiologies for dysphagia, and it is important to consider less common causes once common etiologies have been ruled out. Extrapulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) presentations are rare to see in the western populations due to relative lack of TB exposure and overall less immunocompromised populations, but should be considered for at-risk patients. Gastrointestinal (GI) TB is rare, and the GI tract is considered only the sixth most frequent site of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB).Case presentationThis is a case report of a 35-year-old Ethiopian male presenting with dysphagia and retrosternal odynophagia who was found to have infiltration of mediastinal lymphadenopathy into the esophageal wall secondary to TB. This patient underwent an upper endoscopy, which revealed a linear 2 cm full thickness mucosal defect in the middle esophagus concerning for an infiltrative process with full thickness tear. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest demonstrated a subcarinal soft tissue mass that was inseparable from the esophagus. He was referred to thoracic surgery and underwent an exploratory mediastinal dissection. A mediastinoscopy scope was inserted and the mediastinal dissection was made until the subcarinal nodes were identified and removed. Biopsy results showed necrotizing and non-necrotizing granulomas, and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) culture from the surgically removed lymph node showed Mycobacterium TB complex growth. He had no known TB exposures and did not have any TB risk factors. He then followed up in infectious disease clinic and was managed with anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) with complete resolution of symptoms.ConclusionsOur patient was ultimately found to have esophageal TB secondary to mediastinal invasion into the esophageal wall from lymphadenopathy associated with TB. This is an extremely rare presentation in western populations due to diminished exposure rates and overall less immunocompromised populations compared to impoverished countries with increased TB exposure and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates. Although TB is not as commonly seen in western populations, it should be considered on the differential for any atypical presentations of GI diseases for patients with clinical or geographic risk factors.

Recurrent Bilateral Pleural and Pericardial Effusions due to Tuberculosis in a Child With Doose Syndrome: A Case Report

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the 10 causes of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 2020 Global Tuberculosis Report, 12% of all infected people correspond to children. Other reports have been published with collected data regarding extra pulmonary TB showing that it reaches 16% of incident cases in United States of America. Pleural TB is common among adolescents and is less frequent in children. Pericardial effusion due to TB is a rare manifestation of extra pulmonary TB, and the diagnosis can be hard to reach. In this paper, we describe the manifestations, diagnosis and management of children with extra pulmonary disease, specifically the simultaneous presence of two sites of TB and the approach in children with Doose syndrome. A 9-year-old male patient with an extensive medical record was admitted with unspecific lower respiratory infection symptoms. The diagnosis was reached with the GeneXpert test after 1 month of evaluation and readmission for massive pleural effusion. He required tube drainage twice and specific management with rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. In this case, the symptoms were nonspecific which delayed the diagnosis. The purpose of this case is to emphasize the importance of suspicion and early diagnosis of extra pulmonary TB known as the “great mimicker”. Int J Clin Pediatr. 2022;11(1):14-19 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/ijcp456