Family dynamics and adherence to tuberculosis treatment in pediatric patients

There are no studies evaluating family dynamics in pediatric population with tuberculosis. Neither treatment adherence has been measured, even though patient non-adherence is a public health problem, especially in chronic infectious diseases.

To assess family dynamics and treatment adherence in pediatric patients with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis from an Infectious Diseases Service in Mexico.

Descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted from May to July 2015, with 17 patients aged eight to fifteen years -old with tuberculosis. Three instruments in Spanish were applied: family dynamics was measured with the Family APGAR questionnaire, adapted for children aged eight years-old and above; treatment adherence was measured with the Haynes-Sackett and the Morisky-Green-Levine tests.

In 76.4% of cases, extrapulmonary tuberculosis was higher than pulmonary tuberculosis (23.5%); the most common clinical form was ganglion tuberculosis. Family functionality (94.1%) dominated over moderate dysfunction (5.8%) and severe dysfunction (0%). High adherence to antituberculosis treatment was 58.8% more prominent than the moderate one (29.4%) and the low one (11.7%). The rate of patient abandonment was only 5.8%.

Findings suggest incorporating the evaluation of family dynamics within the medical controls of the antituberculosis treatment, both in the first level of care and in the hospital. This provision may help to promote high treatment adherence.