Tuberculosis (tb) Part 6

Tuberculosis in Children:o TB in children is a sentinelresistance if the child is infected with a resistant
event indicating recent transmission, and contactsstrain.
should be evaluated to find the source case as soonHuman Immunodeficiency Virus:o Patients with TB
as possible. Fortunately, children commonly do notmust be tested for HIV, and patients with HIV need
infect other children because cough is rare andperiodic evaluation for TB with tuberculin skin testing
sputum production is scant.o Diagnosis may be basedand/or chest radiographs. Patients with HIV and a
on the presence of lymphadenopathy on chestpositive tuberculin skin test develop active TB at a
radiographs. Most children can be treated with INHrate of 3-16% per year.o Patients with TB and HIV
and reampin for 6 months, with pyrazinamide for theare more likely to have disseminated disease and less
first 2 months if the culture from the source case islikely to have upper-lobe infiltrates or cavitary
fully susceptible. Gastric aspirates or biopsies are notpulmonary disease. Patients with a CD4 count of less
necessary if cultures can be obtained from thethan 200 may mediastinal adenopathy with
source case.o In children younger than 5 years, theinfiltrates.o Treatment regimens for active or latent
development of fatal military TB or meningeal TB is aTB in patients with HIV are similar to the treatment
significant concern. TB disease is uncommon inof individuals who are HIV negative. The most
children aged 5 - 15 years (the golden age ofsignificant differences involve the avoidance of
childhood).o INH tablets may be crushed and addedrifampin in the patients who are on protease inhibitors
to food. INH liquid without sorbitol should be used toor nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors.
avoid osmotic diarrhea, causing decreased food. IfRifabutin maybe used in place of rifampin in patients
rifampin is not tolerated, it may be taken in dividedwho are on indinavir, or efavirenz.o Patients with HIV
doses 20 minutes after light meals.o Ethambutoland may develop a paradoxical response when
often is avoided in young children because ofstarting antiretroviral therapy. This response has been
difficulties monitoring visual acuity and colorattributed to a stronger immune response to M
perception. However, studies show that ethambutolTuberculosis. Clinical findings include fever, worsening
(15 mg/kg) is well tolerated and can prevent furtherpulmonary infiltrates, and lymphadenopathy.