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Effectiveness of BCG vaccination against tuberculous meningitis

S Awasthi1, S Moin

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, King George's Medical College, Lucknow. (UP), India. sawasthi@lwl.vsnl.net.in

Indian Pediatrics
|March 23, 2000
PubMed

Insights

BCG vaccination provides protection against tuberculous meningitis in children. Improved weight for age also correlates with reduced disease risk, suggesting nutrition plays a role in vaccine effectiveness.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of tuberculosis affecting children.
  • Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination is widely used to prevent tuberculosis.
  • The protective effectiveness of BCG against TBM requires further assessment, especially when accounting for confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the protective efficacy of BCG vaccination against tuberculous meningitis.
  • To control for age, nutritional status, and socio-economic factors in children aged 1 month to 12 years.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study was conducted.
  • Participants included children diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis (cases) and children without central nervous system disorders (controls).
  • Data were collected from a secondary care referral and teaching hospital between September 1995 and August 1997.

Main Results:

  • BCG scar presence was lower in TBM cases (57.8%) compared to controls (75.7%).
  • The crude odds ratio for TBM with a BCG scar was 0.44 (p=0.008).
  • After adjusting for weight, age, sex, and residence, the adjusted odds ratio was 0.53 (p=0.07), indicating a protective trend.

Conclusions:

  • BCG vaccination demonstrates protective effectiveness against tuberculous meningitis.
  • Higher weight for age was associated with a decreased risk of TBM.
  • Further research is recommended to explore the interplay between nutritional status and BCG vaccine efficacy.
Abstract

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