PRESENTATION PATTERNS OF TUBERCULOSIS AND STATUS OF THEIR BCG VACCINATION IN CHILDREN: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the disease pattern of tuberculosis and BCG vaccination status among children.

BACKGROUND: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which protects against TB, is one of the most extensively used vaccinations worldwide. There is occasional available research on patterns of presentations of tuberculosis in association with status of BCG vaccination in the study settings even though the BCG vaccine is included in Pakistan's EPI programme.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross sectional survey, 160 children aged 01 year to 13 years were studied at pediatric units at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi during the year 2022. Tuberculosis cases were confirmed on X- ray chest were made part of the study. The vaccination status of the each patients was confirmed bases on the BCG scar exclusively. We used the Microsoft Excel 2016 spread sheet for data entry and analysis.

RESULTS: In the present study there were 94 (58.75%) male and 66(41.25%) females, 47.5% of the participants were aged below 5 years, more than half (51.88%) of the cases presented with Pulmonary TB, and 76.25% were not vaccinated. Proportion of unvaccinated cases were significantly higher across all the types of tuberculosis

CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis was more common among males and children under five years, compared to all the variants, the pulmonary TB was more common. More than 3/4^th of participants were not vaccinated.