OBJECTIVES: The goals were to describe the management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among children, to examine the tolerability of second-line antituberculosis agents among children, and to report the outcomes of children treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in poor urban communities in Lima, Peru, a city with high tuberculosis prevalence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data for 38 children <15 years of age with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, either documented with drug sensitivity testing of the child's tuberculosis isolate or suspected on the basis of the presence of clinical symptoms for a child with a household contact with documented multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, was performed. All 38 children initiated a supervised individualized treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis between July 1999 and July 2003. Each child received 18 to 24 months of therapy with > or =5 first- or second-line drugs to which their Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain was presumed to be sensitive. RESULTS: Forty-five percent of the children had malnutrition or anemia at the time of diagnosis, 29% had severe radiographic findings (defined as bilateral or cavitary disease), and 13% had extrapulmonary disease. Forty-five percent of the children were hospitalized initially because of the severity of illness. Adverse events were observed for 42% of the children, but no events required suspension of therapy for >5 days. Ninety-five percent of the children (36 of 38 children) achieved cures or probable cures, 1 child (2.5%) died, and 1 child (2.5%) defaulted from therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis disease among children can be treated successfully in resource-poor settings. Treatment is well tolerated by children, and severe adverse events with second-line agents are rare.
OBJECTIVES: The goals were to describe the management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among children, to examine the tolerability of second-line antituberculosis agents among children, and to report the outcomes of children treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in poor urban communities in Lima, Peru, a city with high tuberculosis prevalence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data for 38 children <15 years of age with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, either documented with drug sensitivity testing of the child's tuberculosis isolate or suspected on the basis of the presence of clinical symptoms for a child with a household contact with documented multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, was performed. All 38 children initiated a supervised individualized treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis between July 1999 and July 2003. Each child received 18 to 24 months of therapy with > or =5 first- or second-line drugs to which their Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain was presumed to be sensitive. RESULTS: Forty-five percent of the children had malnutrition or anemia at the time of diagnosis, 29% had severe radiographic findings (defined as bilateral or cavitary disease), and 13% had extrapulmonary disease. Forty-five percent of the children were hospitalized initially because of the severity of illness. Adverse events were observed for 42% of the children, but no events required suspension of therapy for >5 days. Ninety-five percent of the children (36 of 38 children) achieved cures or probable cures, 1 child (2.5%) died, and 1 child (2.5%) defaulted from therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis disease among children can be treated successfully in resource-poor settings. Treatment is well tolerated by children, and severe adverse events with second-line agents are rare.
Authors: B K Moore; E Anyalechi; M van der Walt; S Smith; L Erasmus; J Lancaster; S Morris; N Ndjeka; J Ershova; N Ismail; D Burton; H Menzies Journal: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 2.373
Authors: A Dramowski; M M Morsheimer; A M Jordaan; T C Victor; P R Donald; H S Schaaf Journal: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis Date: 2012-01 Impact factor: 2.373