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Published on: April 9, 2012

Tuberculin Skin Test, chest radiography and contact screening in children ≤5 y: relevance in Revised National

Sandhya Chauhan1, Pratik Gahalaut, A K Rathi

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Sri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India. drsandhyapedia@gmail.com

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|June 13, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Chest X-Ray (CXR) are crucial for screening child contacts of adults with tuberculosis. Early detection through these methods is vital for effective tuberculosis control programs.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Household contacts of individuals with infectious tuberculosis are at high risk of developing the disease.
  • Early detection and management of tuberculosis in children are critical for preventing transmission and severe outcomes.
  • The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) aims to reduce tuberculosis incidence and mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the status of Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) in young children (0-5 years) who are household contacts of adults with sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis.
  • To investigate the relationship between TST results and Chest X-Ray (CXR) findings in these child contacts.
  • To assess the relevance of TST and CXR in contact screening within the RNTCP framework.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective hospital-based clinical study was conducted at a tertiary care center in Northern India.
  • 200 children aged 5 years or younger, residing with adults diagnosed with sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis, were enrolled.
  • Each child underwent demographic data collection, clinical history, physical examination, growth assessment, TST, and CXR.

Main Results:

  • Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) was positive in 39% of the child contacts.
  • Among children with a positive TST, 68% showed Chest X-Ray (CXR) findings indicative of tuberculosis.
  • A significant correlation (p < 0.001) was observed between TST and CXR findings, particularly in children under one year of age. Many asymptomatic children also presented with positive TST and CXR consistent with TB disease.

Conclusions:

  • Contact screening should be a priority within the RNTCP.
  • The study recommends the active utilization of TST and CXR for contact screening in RNTCP, moving beyond current practices.
  • Implementing these diagnostic tools can enhance the early identification of tuberculosis in child contacts.
Abstract

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