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Published on: August 11, 2008

Keith Edwards score for diagnosis of tuberculosis

Shyam Narayan1, S Mahadevan, V Tiroumourougane Serane

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India.

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|August 19, 2003
PubMed

Insights

The Keith Edwards score shows high accuracy in diagnosing childhood tuberculosis, with 91% sensitivity and 88% specificity. This scoring system can guide diagnosis in children with suggestive symptoms, though further validation is needed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Diagnostic Accuracy

Background:

  • Childhood tuberculosis diagnosis presents challenges.
  • Accurate diagnostic tools are crucial for timely intervention.
  • The Keith Edwards scoring system is a potential aid.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the utility of the Keith Edwards scoring system for diagnosing tuberculosis in children.
  • To compare the Keith Edwards score against a definitive reference standard.

Main Methods:

  • One hundred and one children (2 months to 12 years) were evaluated using the Keith Edwards score.
  • The Keith Edwards score-based diagnosis was compared with a definitive tuberculosis diagnosis.

Main Results:

  • The Keith Edwards score demonstrated a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 88%.
  • Out of 65 confirmed tuberculosis cases, 59 had a score >7.
  • Four children with a score >7 did not have tuberculosis.

Conclusions:

  • The Keith Edwards score is a potentially definitive guideline for diagnosing childhood tuberculosis in select populations with clinical indicators.
  • Further research is necessary to validate the Keith Edwards score as a definitive diagnostic standard for pediatric tuberculosis.
Abstract

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