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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 26, Number 3

Paediatric admissions to a TB hospital: reasons for admission, clinical profile and outcomes

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BACKGROUND: Brooklyn Chest Hospital (BCH) is a specialised TB hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. We describe reasons for admission, patient profiles and hospital-discharge outcomes in children admitted to BCH. This was compared to a previous study (2000–2001).

METHODS: This retrospective, descriptive study included all children (0–14 years) admitted to BCH from January 2016 to December 2017. Data collected from patient folders and a laboratory database included demographic data, reasons for admission, clinical data and hospital outcomes.

RESULTS: Of 263 children admitted, 133 (50.6%) were male. The median age was 32 months (IQR 15–75); 48 (18.3%) were HIV-positive and 150 (57.0%) had bacteriologically confirmed TB. Reasons for admission included social/caregiver-related (n = 119, 45.2%), drug-resistant TB (n = 114, 43.3%), TB meningitis (n = 86, 32.7%) and other severe types of TB (n = 63, 24.0%); 110 (41.8%) children had >1 reason for admission. TB meningitis admissions decreased (P = 0.014) and those for drug-resistant TB increased (P < 0.001) compared to 2000–2001. Pulmonary TB was diagnosed in 234 (89.0%), extrapulmonary TB in 149 (56.7%) and 126 (47.9%) had both. At discharge, 73 (27.8%) had completed treatment, 182 (69.2%) were transferred out to complete treatment at community clinics, and 6 (2.3%) died.

CONCLUSIONS: Although most children were admitted for clinical reasons, social/caregiver-related reasons were also important.

Keywords: children; drug resistance; social; tuberculosis meningitis

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa 2: Brooklyn Chest Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa 3: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa, Brooklyn Chest Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

Publication date: March 1, 2022

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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