[Risk factors and their impact on disseminated forms of tuberculosis in adolescents]

The authors have analyzed 298 case histories of 14-18-year-old adolescents treated at the Childhood and Adolescence Department, Research Institute of Phthisioplmonology for new-onset pulmonary tuberculosis in 1996 to 2005. In 2001-2005 versus 1996-2000, circumscribed tuberculosis became to occur significantly less frequently while disseminated tuberculosis did significantly more frequently (by 3.3-fold). The number of bacteria-discharging persons proportionally increased (by 3.3-fold). Late detection of the disease is one of the principal causes of disseminated forms of tuberculosis in adolescents. The reasons for untimely examination of the examines who had contacted were their striking-off the register 1-3 years before detection of the disease in 32.4% of cases and the adolescents' unestablished contacts with bacteria-discharging persons in 27.8% of cases. In 86.2% of cases, the general practitioners had not made a goal-oriented examination of the adolescents admitted to the general health care network for signs of suspected tuberculosis.