Background: India accounts for 27% of global tuberculosis (TB) cases with 8–20% of TB-related deaths. Children account for 5% of new TB cases. This study investigates clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of pediatric TB patients at in a District of Assam. Objectives: The objectives of the study are to assess the profile of pediatric TB patients registered in the DTC of a tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods: One-year retrospective analysis of 241 TB patients from the Nikshay portal between January 23 and June 24. Data collection focused on sociodemographics, clinical variables, and outcomes. Results: Of the total 241 TB patients, the mean age was 11.25 ± 3.8 years and the majority were females. Most availed public hospital care (84.2%), and the majority (31.5%) visited DTC. Newly diagnosed cases were 85.1%, while 2.1% had drug-resistant TB. Pulmonary TB comprised 51% and extrapulmonary TB was 42.3% mostly affecting lymph nodes (10.7%). Nearly 51.87% of patients completed their treatment and girls exhibited a higher cure and treatment completion rate. Conclusion: The majority received services from district hospitals, while peripheral centers were less utilized. Drug resistance requires better attention to prevent further transmission and mortality.
Mahanta et al. (Fri,) studied this question.