Tuberculosis prevalence among families of children with positive tuberculin skin test [Tüberkülin deri testi pozitif çocuklarin ailelerinde tüberküloz görülme sikli?i]

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study were, to find the tuberculosis prevalence among families of children with a positive or negative PPD; to evaluate the PPD values of children found negative or positive during screening of schools; and to give prophylactic treatment for children who were negative and became positive later. Material and Methods: A total of 52 PPD positive and 65 PPD negative students were recruited to this cross-sectional study. Of these, 44 (84.6%) PPD positive and 58 (87.6%) negative students and their families accepted to participate in the study. The total number of participants was 543. PA radiography was performed on adults >5 years and a PPD test was performed on children ?15 years; an acid-fast stained preparation was made from samples obtained from patients who discharged sputum. Results: In the PPD positive group, only one newly diagnosed father and two newly diagnosed children detected during school screening were present. In the PPD negative group, there was no new case of TB. The school screening revealed that the PPD value decreased in 33, increased in 8 and did not change in 3 out of 44 PPD positive children. PPD test was positive in 31 out of 102 children (30.4%) in the PPD positive group and 5 out of 109 children (4.5%) in the PPD negative group. (p < 0.05). H treatment for 6 months was administered to 5 children with an initially negative PPD and who became positive subsequently. Conclusion: School environment seemed to be effective in the transmission of infection; thus, priority in the implementation of prophylactic measures should be given to crowded communities such as the school. We suggest that periodic surveillance studies may be effective in the protection, early detection and therapy of TB. Copyright © 2006 by Türkiye Klinikleri.