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Adherence to anti-tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis and treatment in children

S van Zyl1, B J Marais, A C Hesseling

  • 1Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.

The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease : the Official Journal of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
|February 10, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment in children was good, but adherence to unsupervised chemoprophylaxis was poor. Shorter regimens like 3HR may improve pediatric TB chemoprophylaxis adherence in high-burden areas.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Limited data exist on anti-tuberculosis treatment and chemoprophylaxis adherence in children within high-burden settings.
  • Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health challenge, particularly affecting vulnerable populations like children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine adherence rates to anti-tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis and treatment among children identified as household contacts of adult pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases.
  • To evaluate factors influencing adherence in a high-incidence setting.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study analyzed data from children under 5 years old in suburban Cape Town, South Africa (1996-2003).
  • Folder searches identified child contacts of adult PTB cases, and data on TB screening and adherence to prescribed therapy were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Adherence to anti-tuberculosis treatment (82.6%) was significantly better than adherence to chemoprophylaxis (44.2%).
  • Adherence to a 3-month isoniazid and rifampicin (3HR) regimen (69.6%) was superior to a 6-month isoniazid-only regimen (27.6%).

Conclusions:

  • While treatment adherence in children is favorable, unsupervised chemoprophylaxis adherence is suboptimal.
  • Shorter chemoprophylaxis regimens, such as 3HR, warrant consideration to enhance pediatric adherence, pending further research.
Abstract

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