Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants

Background and Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Understanding the barriers to successful childhood TB treatment is vital to curbing the scourge of childhood TB. This study examined the outcomes and factors that influence the outcomes of childh...

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Main Authors: Chinyere Onubogu, Ebele Ugochukwu, Arthur Anyabolu, Juliet Ojukwu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2019-01-01
Series:Libyan International Medical University Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/LIUJ.LIUJ_47_18
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author Chinyere Onubogu
Ebele Ugochukwu
Arthur Anyabolu
Juliet Ojukwu
author_facet Chinyere Onubogu
Ebele Ugochukwu
Arthur Anyabolu
Juliet Ojukwu
author_sort Chinyere Onubogu
collection DOAJ
description Background and Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Understanding the barriers to successful childhood TB treatment is vital to curbing the scourge of childhood TB. This study examined the outcomes and factors that influence the outcomes of childhood TB treatment in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital. Methods: A 10-year review of the medical records of under-15 year olds, who received anti-TB treatment at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, was carried out. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Majority of the 501 childhood TB cases were new (89.6%) and pulmonary (73.3%) TB cases. TB-HIV coinfection occurred in 42.5% of cases. The rate of successful treatment was 62.9%. About 57.5% completed treatment, 5.4% were cured, 7.0% were transferred out, 21.4% were lost to follow-up, 0.4% had treatment failure while 8.4% died. Majority (61.6%) of deaths or loss to follow-up occurred during the first 2 months of treatment. Factors significantly associated with treatment outcomes were ascertainment of HIV status (P = 0.049), disease site (P = 0.013), nutritional status (P = 0.039), Mantoux test result (P = 0.002), and period of treatment (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Findings indicate high rate of unsuccessful childhood TB treatment outcomes. Efforts should be intensified to ensure improved outcomes through proactive search for childhood TB cases, early diagnosis and treatment, as well as adherence to and completion of treatment. Special attention should be given to high-risk groups including those with unknown HIV status, extrapulmonary TB, and severe malnutrition. It is imperative to determine the HIV status of all childhood TB cases.
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spelling doaj-art-1523b7d43eaf4429a8e3dfdfad148ebf2025-08-20T03:17:28ZengThieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.Libyan International Medical University Journal2519-139X2019-01-010401182510.4103/LIUJ.LIUJ_47_18Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinantsChinyere Onubogu0Ebele Ugochukwu1Arthur Anyabolu2Juliet Ojukwu3Department of Paediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, NigeriaDepartment of Paediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, NigeriaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, NigeriaDepartment of Family Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, NigeriaBackground and Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Understanding the barriers to successful childhood TB treatment is vital to curbing the scourge of childhood TB. This study examined the outcomes and factors that influence the outcomes of childhood TB treatment in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital. Methods: A 10-year review of the medical records of under-15 year olds, who received anti-TB treatment at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, was carried out. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Majority of the 501 childhood TB cases were new (89.6%) and pulmonary (73.3%) TB cases. TB-HIV coinfection occurred in 42.5% of cases. The rate of successful treatment was 62.9%. About 57.5% completed treatment, 5.4% were cured, 7.0% were transferred out, 21.4% were lost to follow-up, 0.4% had treatment failure while 8.4% died. Majority (61.6%) of deaths or loss to follow-up occurred during the first 2 months of treatment. Factors significantly associated with treatment outcomes were ascertainment of HIV status (P = 0.049), disease site (P = 0.013), nutritional status (P = 0.039), Mantoux test result (P = 0.002), and period of treatment (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Findings indicate high rate of unsuccessful childhood TB treatment outcomes. Efforts should be intensified to ensure improved outcomes through proactive search for childhood TB cases, early diagnosis and treatment, as well as adherence to and completion of treatment. Special attention should be given to high-risk groups including those with unknown HIV status, extrapulmonary TB, and severe malnutrition. It is imperative to determine the HIV status of all childhood TB cases.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/LIUJ.LIUJ_47_18childhood tuberculosischildrennigeriaoutcomestreatment
spellingShingle Chinyere Onubogu
Ebele Ugochukwu
Arthur Anyabolu
Juliet Ojukwu
Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants
Libyan International Medical University Journal
childhood tuberculosis
children
nigeria
outcomes
treatment
title Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants
title_full Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants
title_fullStr Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants
title_full_unstemmed Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants
title_short Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants
title_sort childhood tuberculosis in a south east nigerian tertiary hospital treatment outcomes and determinants
topic childhood tuberculosis
children
nigeria
outcomes
treatment
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.4103/LIUJ.LIUJ_47_18
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AT arthuranyabolu childhoodtuberculosisinasoutheastnigeriantertiaryhospitaltreatmentoutcomesanddeterminants
AT julietojukwu childhoodtuberculosisinasoutheastnigeriantertiaryhospitaltreatmentoutcomesanddeterminants